Darkness Falls
by Midnight Lost
Summary: After a brutal attack from the villagers, Naruto is offered a deal from an unlikely savior. Powerful abilities over darkness and shadow to either save or destroy. Follow as Naruto shows everyone just how bright the darkness can be! Hanyou!Naruto, Powerful/Smart!Naruto, HaremxNaruto. Sasuke Bashing, Minor Kakashi Bashing Inspired by Reaper7's Shadow Of The Fox!
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Notes:** I know, I know. Why am I starting another story when I haven't even finished my current stories? Well, answer is simple. I have been on a massive Naruto kick lately and the plot bunnies just breed like, well bunnies.

Now, this story is going to be a mash up of some of my favorite themes. So expect to see Naruto/Harem, however I am unsure of all who will be in it. The list below will be what I have currently. There will be some gender bending for some characters. Also, expect to see Naruto be out of character and over powered in some cases. Also, Hanyou!Naruto (half demon) is also in the forcast. There will also be Council, Sasuke, and Kakashi bashing.

**Harem** \- Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Fem!Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Yugi, Tsume, and Fem!Kyuubi

Honestly, I don't think it's too big, compared to some of the harems I have seen. More may be added in the future. I am open to suggestions, so feel free to offer a suggestion and a scenario you would like to see them meet in.

There will be some yuri moments. It will not be the focused upon, unless requested by a moderate number of readers, but it will be eluded to.

This story is strongly inspired by Reaper7's Shadow Of The Fox, which is a very good read. The author has given me their permission to use elements from their story for this one. So feel free to check them out!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's**

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 1

**October 10th, 6 Years After the Kyuubi Attack**

Frigid rain fell heavily as lightening flashed, briefly illuminating the form of a young six year old blonde before thunder ripped through the skies above. Between the flashes of lightening, it could be seen that the young boys shirt was full of holes of various sizes, exposing his malnourished body to the bitter elements. His pants in even worse condition as one of the pant legs was missing from the knee down, revealing his skinny leg. The boy continued to make his way down the empty street, as his bare feet splashed through the gathering puddles.

A question any sensible person would have asked themselves upon seeing the boy would simple be, 'Why was this child out in weather like this at this hour?'

The answer? Immediately at the stroke of midnight, the matron of the orphanage he resided in had kicked him out. Just as he turned six years old.

With no where else to go, the child merely wandered the streets looking for some kind of shelter to get out of the cold. Stopping in front of a small alleyway, he peered down just as another flash of lightening lit up the village once more. Seeing a small pile of cardboard boxes and some plastic wrap used for shipments, he tentatively made his way towards them. It wasn't the most ideal of shelters, but it would do for the night until he could visit the old man and tell him what happened.

Shuffling over to the pile of debris, the young child began to set to work on his home for the duration of the early morning hours. Just as he finished placing the plastic over the box to ward off the rain, he heard a group of foot steps behind him. Turning around he saw a group of men and women gathering in the ally, blocking his only exit.

"Looks like the Matron was right, the little demon brat is all alone with no one to watch over him." The man at the front stated with a sinister grin.

"My daughter would have been ten years old this month if it wasn't for you!" A woman shouted from the middle of the mob, prompting others to express their agreement.

"Bu-but I didn't do anything." Naruto could only stammer as he backed away from the crowd that slowly began to descend on him with malicious intent.

"Don't even try to lie, you demon brat." Another man replied as he raised his hand that held a lead pipe and brought it down harshly on the young boys shoulder.

A resounding crack could be heard and a cry of pain from the young child as his right arm hung limp from where his clavicle was broken. After the initial strike, everyone else joined in, throwing rocks, bottles and even some kunai's at the poor child. Ignoring his cries of pain and pleas to stop. These only seemed to inspire the mob more.

After a few minutes, Naruto collapsed to the ground, blood pooling around his body as darkness began to claim his vision. Bloodied, with kunai's sticking out of his chest, belly and legs. As the mob stopped, the leader of the group came forward and took out another blade.

"This is for my family you demon sack of filth!" He stated as he brought the blade down on the child's arm and slashing it down. Opening the flesh up to expose muscle and tendons. The man repeated the process with Naruto's left leg and started to move towards the stomach when a kunai struck him in the forehead.

Alarmed the mob looked up to the roof to see a squad of ANBU. The leader of the group with a weasel mask, his sharingan spinning furiously at the sight before him.

"Hawk, Boar. Take these people to Ibiki for his special treatment." Weasel smiled under his mask as he saw the mob's color drain from their collective faces. A few even tried to run before being struck down by the other surrounding ANBU that quickly incapacitated the rest.

Having issued his orders, he jumped down to the alley way as the sun began to rise over the horizon, giving light to the grisly scene before him. Kneeling next to the boy is another ANBU member, doing a medical scan to account for the damages done to the poor child.

"Report." Weasel stated.

"It's not good. I am detecting a broken clavicle, three broke ribs, a punctured lung, part of his heart is collapsed on itself and that's not counting the lacerations on his arm and leg." The female ANBU reported, holding back her sickness and anger at the sight before her.

"I'll take him to the hospital." Weasel stated as he carefully picked up the boys prone body. "Go and report to the Hokage immediately."

"Yes sir!" The medic ANBU replied and shunshined off in a swirl of leaves.

Weasel immediately did the same, hoping to get him to the hospital in time. For if he didn't, Kami have mercy on those involved.

* * *

**Naruto's Mindscape**

"**Hang in there ****kit****!"** yelled the giant fox frantically as it smashed it's body into the giant cage. Desperately trying to pump more of it's chakra into the child, only for it to be strangled through the seal, allowing only a trickle of it to reach the dying boy. **"Damn seal!"**

The boy in question slowly began to stir from his position in the water filled room. Taking in the room around him, he began to question where he was.

"Did they dump my body in a sewer?" he asked out loud, not expecting an answer. The next thing he noticed as that his body no longer hurt. Looking down he couldn't find any traces of the attack he had just endured.

"**Thank Yami you're awake."** a voice behind Naruto boomed, causing the boy to spin around and come face to face with a giant fox head behind a gate, with a tag across the center that read 'Seal' in kanji.

"Wh-who are you?" Naruto stammered, taking a cautious step back.

"**It seems this form frightens you."** The fox answered with a large smile before it's body was surrounded with a red smoke, obscuring the massive body from view. A few seconds later the smoke clears, revealing a young looking woman dressed in a red battle kimono with black hair, red eyes and nine white tails flowing behind her. Three red whisker marks adorn her cheeks, similar to his only more pronounced.

"To answer your question, I am the reason you were attacked." The newly formed girl stated, remorse evident in her voice.

"How are you the cause of it?" Naruto asked, clearly confused.

"Because I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune." She clarified, waiting for the boy to lash out at her. However nothing came, he only stared at her in bewilderment.

"Six years ago, I was manipulated into attacking this village." She continued. "I am not sure who it was. The only thing I remember is being ripped out of my former host and tossed out into the world before a man in an orange mask put me under his control and had me attack the village. Then I was sealed into you."

"Wait, if I am talking to you now; does that mean we are inside me?" The young blonde tried to wrap his brain around this bit of information.

"Yes, we are inside you. More precisely, you mindscape." The kyuubi answered, before turning serious. "But we are low on time. Right now, your body is dying and I can't give you enough of my chakra to heal your wounds."

"What!? You're saying I am dying?" Naruto exclaimed in a voice of panic.

"Yes, I can only delay it." The girl behind the cage explained, hanging her head in sorrow. "I'm sorry. That damn seal is preventing me for giving you more of my chakra."

"Is there anything I can do?" Naruto asked as he gazed up at the gate with a frown. He may hate how the villagers treated him, but he wasn't ready to die just yet.

"If you could weaken the seal, more of my chakra would be open to you." She explained.

"What if I just take the seal off?"

"NO!" The girl exclaimed. "That would only kill you! Just tear a piece of the corner off, no bigger then your thumb."

Nodding, Naruto moved towards the seal. As he reached up to tear off a piece, a flash of light appeared before a sharp kick threw the boy to the other end of the room, causing him to spit up some blood, slipping into unconsciousness. In front of the cage stood a man that looked like an older version of Naruto.

"I didn't sacrifice myself so you can ruin it, brat." The man sneered.

"You bastard!" The girl screamed at the man. "Your son is about to die!"

"He will survive this." Minato grinned as he turned his attention to the girl. "This experience will only harden him further to make him a powerful weapon for the village. And you're going to help him."

"You're a heartless bastard." she snarled, "If Kushina knew what kind of asshole you were, she never would have fallen for you."

"And that is a ninja's greatest weapon." The blonde man grinned. "Deception. I deceived her into falling for me to secure Uzushiogakure's secrets for Konohagakure and secure it's place as the most powerful hidden village. Positioning it to conquer the Elemental Nations with my son leading the conquest, the power of the Kyuubi at his disposal to level all opposition."

"**You truly are a vile and corrupt man."** A distored voice echoed through the chambers, causing both Minata and the Kyuubi girl to look around for it's source.

A crimson orb descended into the center of the room before bursting, raining what appeared to be blood all over the middle of the room. Where the center of the orb once was, stood a tall, slender woman with silver hair tied back into a high pony tail. Resting along her shoulder is a large triple bladed scythe, made of a black material of some kind. Giving it a wispy like appearance. Her blood red crimson eyes focused on the former Hokage, causing the man to shudder under her gaze.

"Who the hell are you?" Minato asked, regaining his composure.

"**Who I am is of no concern of yours mortal."** The woman replied coldly as she griped her weapon and pointed it at Minato. **"Just know that I have come for your soul."**

"Then it's a shame my soul already belongs to the Shinigami." He smirked.

"**I am aware of this."** The woman gave a sinister grin, causing a cold shiver to travel down Minato's spine. **"Unfortunately for you, Shinigami-nii-san is my brother and has given me your soul for punishment of your ****vile**** actions."**

Not giving the blonde man any chance to retort, the silver haired woman drove her scythe forward. Impaling the chest of Minato, causing him to elicit an earth shattering scream of pain as his soul was absorbed into the woman's scythe.

"**I shall enjoy feasting on your corrupt soul, Minato Namikaze."** She grinned as the last traces of the Fourth Hokage dissipated.

With the task done, the silver haired woman turned her crimson eyes towards the Kyuubi girl, causing the young girl to shrink back in fear. Unsure of what this woman could do to her.

"**Now that that bastard is taken care of, let us see about saving young Naruto-kun."** The woman replied as she walked over towards the seal and examined it. **"I can't remove the seal, but I can alter it so that you can aid him more efficiently." **

"Do you intend on making him a weapon with my power as well?" The girl asked cautiously.

"**A weapon? No, I intend to make him my champion."** The woman smiled as she began to move various symbols around the seal. Almost immediately, the Kyuubi girl could feel her chakra pouring into the young boy.

* * *

**Real World**

The ANBU known as Weasel stood over young Naruto's hospital bed as the heart monitor steadily beeped. He was still infuriated as to what had just happened. He literally had to threaten one of the doctors to get the boy taken care of, and because he didn't trust the hospital staff to do their jobs without bias, he stood over them as they worked to stabilize the boy.

Soon, he was joined by the Hokage himself. Weasel quickly gave him a full report of what he encountered. The elder man was even more upset that the ANBU was and had ordered the rest to investigate the matron at the orphanage. Insisting that they bring her to Ibiki for questioning of her negligence, as Naruto was to be under her car until he was at least old enough to attend to academy.

In silence, they stood by the boys side when they noticed Naruto's body being surrounded by red chakra, causing some fear from the village leader that the Kyuubi may be attempting to escape. However, his fears were quickly dispelled when he saw the grievous wounds healing themselves.

"Hokage-sama, what just happened?" Weasel inquired as the red chakra began to seep back into the boy, having healed all of his wounds and mended all of Naruto's broken bones. It was almost as if the attack never happened.

"I am unsure, but I can only surmise that young Naruto's tenant doesn't want to die and is healing Naruto to keep itself from dying." The elder man explained as best it could.

**Naruto's Mindscape**

Naruto groaned as he slowly came to, half expecting to find himself in a completely new area. Looking around, he was some what relieved that he was still within his mindscape. Although, instead of the blonde man that had attacked him, there was a silver haired woman conversing with the girl behind the cage.

"**Ah, you're awake."** The silver haired woman stated, making her way over to the young blonde.

"Are you okay Naruto-kun?" Kyuubi asked in concern.

"I'm okay." He grunted as he stood up, looking at the newly arrived woman. "Um, who are you?"

"**I am Jashin. The Goddess of Blood and Carnage."** The woman replied with a smile that strangely enough, was kind and gentle considering her title. **"Now, first things first. How about we do something about this sewer."**

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, a bit confused.

"**This is your mind Naruto-kun."** Jashin explained. **"You can change it to how you see fit. It is only like this because all you have known is loneliness and pain. Instead imagine being in an open meadow, surrounded by a lush forest. Imagine a peaceful stream flowing through the meadow."**

Naruto closed his eyes, and began to imagine what the goddess described. Slowly the sewer like setting began to dissolve as birds could be heard chirping. A cool breeze blowing against his skin as the sound of honey bees going from flower to flower. Opening his eyes, he could only marvel at the sight before him. An open lush meadow, with a stream flowing through the center surrounded by the lush forest Jashin had described.

Sitting in the center of the meadow was the kitsune girl, her tails stretched out, enjoying the cool breeze. No longer confined behind the cage like prison. Instead, a silver necklace was around her neck with the kanji for 'Seal' dangling from the silver chain. Jumping up, she quickly ran towards the blonde boy and tackled him in a hug, giving him kisses along his cheeks.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she repeated, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"You're welcome, Kyuubi." Naruto said, hugging the kitsune back.

"Ahri." She replied. "My name is Ahri, Kyuubi is only a title."

"You're welcome Ahri-chan." The blonde smiled. Ahri blushed at the suffix, but smiled none the less.

"**Well done, this is a massive improvement over that sewer."** Jashin commented as she scanned her surroundings, bringing the attention back to her.

"Thank you for your help, Jashin-sama." Naruto expressed, turning towards the woman.

"**Please, call me Jashin-chan, or just Ja-chan for short."** She smiled, causing the poor boy to blush. **"Now that you are out of danger, let us get to the real reason for my visit to you Naruto-kun."**

Naruto nodded, curious as to what the goddess would want with him. He didn't think himself anything special when compared to other kids his age.

"**The real reason I am here, is to offer you a deal."** Jashin began. **"I have watched you for sometime now, from the day of your birth up until now and you have interested me greatly. ****Despite your constant mistreatment and neglect, you preserver through it all and push forward. That is why I want to make you my champion."**

"Your champion?" asked Naruto, a bit uncertain what was being asked of him.

"**Yes. Should you accept, I will grant you a gift of power to help you through your conflicts. However, while I will grant you this gift, it will be up to you to learn how to use it to it's fullest extent."** the goddess answered.

"What power would you give him?" Ahri asked, a little curious.

"**The power over shadow and darkness."** The goddess grinned. **"Normally I would grant my champion immortality, but Naruto-kun is special and deserves something more unique."**

"What would be required of me in being your champion?" Naruto asked.

"**Simple."** Jashin started. **"You would be tasked with two missions. One, restoring my name in the Elemental Nations that has been desecrated by the cults that have sprung forth, claiming to do vile things in my name. Second, you will be asked to reap corrupt souls for me. However, you will not be tasked with these in the near future."**

"Before I accept, I have one question." The blonde stated. "Power doesn't come without cost. What would be the price of accepting this gift?"

Despite his young age, Naruto had been forced to grow mentally early on to avoid traps and other things during his young age. This question, earned him a smile from the goddess before him.

"**Very wise, and you are correct this power will come at a cost."** Jashin stated. **"In order for your body to accept this power, I will have to change you to a hanyou. A half demon."**

"So I would become what the villagers accuse me of?" Naruto asked, a little frightened at the idea. He was already hated as is, if he were to become a demon it would only increase their hatred of him and no doubt more mobs would chase after him.

"**Honestly, I doubt it would make any difference to the villagers, if that is your concern Naruto-kun."** The goddess answered truthfully. **"They already see you as a demon through their ignorance. The only difference would be that you would have the power to protect yourself from the angry mobs or even avoid such conflicts all together."**

"And what would be the benefits of becoming a half demon?" The boy asked, trying to cover all of his bases before making such a big decision.

"**Aside from the powers I am granting you?" **She quirked an eye brow, earning a nod from the young boy. **"Your body will be more durable and mature slightly faster then those of your age. Aside from that, your strength, speed, ****senses**** and stamina will be inhuman. Allowing you to accomplish feats others would deem impossible for your age. ****Your eyes will also gain the ability of what I call Shadow Sight, though the name doesn't do it justice.**** Lastly, you will heal even faster if you attain any injury. Added that Ahri-chan can make it almost instant."**

"And how will I change physically?" Naruto inquired. While so far this offer sounded good, it wouldn't do him much good if he had to stay hidden because he sprouted horns and a tail. "And how does this Shadow Sight work?"

**"You are worried how others will see you?"** Jashin smirked. **"Fear not, your physical changes will be minor. Apart from more defined muscles, your hair may take some dark highlights. Though if you are enraged, other features will become more prominent. Such as elongated canines, sharp claw like finger nails, and your cute little whisker marks becoming more defined."**

"**As for your Shadow Sight, as I said the name doesn't do it justice."** She continued, her voice glowing with a sense of pride as she began to describe the ability. **"When activated, you will be able to see perfectly in the darkness. Furthermore, instead of looking for chakra like other sight based abilities, this eye sight will pick up life energy. Meaning if it is alive, you will be able to see who, where, and what it is. I pride this at being my ultimate creation."**

"It really doesn't sound like that are any draw backs, Jashin-sama." Ahri commented as she watched her vessel mull over the possibilities. However, one question did rise in the kitsune's mind. "Ano, if he accepts what will happen to me?"

"**Nothing."** Came Jashin's reply. **"The seal will still be in place, so you would continue to exist albeit in a naturally stronger vessel."**

After a few minutes, Naruto sighed and looked to the goddess in front of him before smiling.

"Very well Ja-chan, I accept your gift." He replied, earning a gentle smile from the silver haired goddess.

"**I am glad, Naruto-kun."** She smiled as she slowly walked towards him. Kneeling down so she was face to face with him. Causing the poor boy to blush at the close proximity between the two of them. **"I will not lie to you, you will feel some pain when you wake up."**

Naruto merely nodded in acceptance. After this attack, he doubted he could feel a worse kind of pain. Gently, the goddess cupped both of his cheeks and brought him closer to her. Before he could react, she kissed him on the lips, once again causing the poor boy to blush deeply having never done anything like this before. As she did so, dark energies began to flow from her body into his. This process lasted only a few minutes, before the young began faded from his mindscape, leaving behind a smiling goddess and a blushing kitsune.

"Wa-was that really necessary?" Ahri asked, slightly pouting that the goddess had just stolen the boys first kiss.

"**No, but it was entertaining. And he is cute."** Jashin smiled turning to the fox girl, reaching into her kimono and withdrawing a black looking scroll, handing it to Ahri. **"I must leave now. I trust you to help teach young Naruto-kun his abilities and general training to prepare him for the world. This scroll contains information on some of the shadow abilities. Once he has mastered these, I will give him another scroll."**

"It will be done Jashin-sama." Ahri bowed in respect, only to blush as the goddess came in close, her lips just an inch away from the kitsune's ear.

"**And do not fret, after all; Naruto-kun will need to take multiple mates."** Jashin smiled before disappearing into a blood red orb and vanishing, leaving a furiously blushing kitsune at the implications the goddess left.

* * *

**Real World**

The first thing Naruto was made aware of as he regained consciousness was that his body felt like it was on fire. It was as if someone had tossed him into an oven and left him their to bake. Granted, he wouldn't put it past the villagers to attempt something like that. Gritting his teeth, he forced his body to move, despite his muscles protest to do even the most basic of movements.

'_Well, Jashin-chan did warn me that I would be sore.'_ He thought to himself. _'I wonder if the physical changes already happened?'_

"Naruto-kun, you're awake!" The old man beside his bed exclaimed, catching the attention of the boy and the ANBU in the weasel mask.

"Hey Ji-ji." Naruto replied in a weak, almost silent voice, shocking himself.

"Try not to talk too much Naruto-kun." Weasel stated as he approached the bedside. "The doctors said your vocal cords were severely damaged during last nights attack."

Naruto frowned, but nodded as he remembered what happened. If he focused on the memories, he could still feel each hit that fell on him. However, his frown was replaced with a small smile as he remembered what happened afterwards. Unconsciously bringing his fingers to his lips as the realization just hit him. He had kissed an actual goddess!

"Are you okay Naruto-kun?" The Hokage asked in concern.

"I'm fine Ji-ji." The boy replied, his voice sounding a bit stronger now, earning a quirked eye brow from the ANBU, unaware of how the boy was healing so fast. Though he assumed it was due to his tenant.

"As I understand it, the matron of the orphanage kicked you out this morning before the attack. Currently she is being detained and a replacement for her is being reviewed so that we can get you situated back with the other kids."

At this Naruto only his shook his head.

"Is there any way I can get my own place?" Naruto asked. "You know the villagers hate me, so no matter who is in charge, it will just happen all over again later."

Hiruzen could only sadly nod. He knew the boy had a valid point. The old man swore to Kami, if he ever discovered who let it slip of the boys jinchuuriki status to the common public, he would rake that poor soul over hell fire and then some.

"I will see what I can do, rest up Naruto-kun." The old man smiled sadly. "Weasel, watch over him. Lethal force is authorized to any threats."

The ANBU gave a short nod and followed the village leader out of the room to stand guard by the door to allow the boy to peacefully rest.

'_Despite how this day started, I would have to say this has been the best birthday I have had so far.'_ He smiled to himself.

'_**Happy Birthday Naruto-kun.'**_ Ahri's voice echoed in his mind, causing the boy to smile even more. _**'Jashin-sama left you a scroll for your new abilities.'**_

'_Thank you Ahri-chan.'_ He replied back to her with their mental link before he leaned back into his pillow and fell asleep once more. Slipping back into his mindscape once more.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** Alright that is the first chapter.

First off, yes the Kyuubi's human form is based off of Ahri from League of Legends as I figured it would be a fitting human form for a female kyuubi. I know this concept has been used in other stories prior, so I am not claiming any originality in using it.

Secondly, if you noticed. I had the Kyuubi that Yami. In this stories universe, the Bijuu's were created by Yami. So they will refer to Yami rather then other gods.

Lastly, I decided to have Minato be a bit more of a jerk and a minor villain for the story. Minor only because he is already dead. The true villains of this story will be those he was allied with. I am sure some of you can already guess a few names.

That being said, I hope everyone enjoyed this story. Feel free to let me know what you think in the reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Notes:** Alright, I just can't stop thinking about this story, so I figured I would use this muse to my advantage and keep the creative juices flowing and hoping it will create of flood where I am constantly updating all of my stories at once!

Now to answer some questions and respond to some reviews!

**YeagerMeister31** – Yes, the attack on Naruto takes place shortly before the Uchiha Massacre, so Itachi is still in the village during the time. We get to find out what has happened since then in this chapter. And as I said, Naruto's physical changes won't be obvious to the casual appearance. Black streaks in his hair, a bit more defined whisker marks, but nothing that will really stand out unless he gets really angry.

**ThunderClaw03** – Yes, Danzo is a safe bet with how his character is, as well as various members of the Civilian and Shinobi Councils. There are a few more I want to add in for a bonus twist that hopefully not many people will see coming.

**Bankai777** – No, Teams for the most part are going to remain canon. As there will be Sasuke and Kakashi bashing, I need plenty of ammo to keep the shots firing.

Now on to a few other things before we officially get started. For this story, the Ninja Academy isn't open to students until they are 10 years old, and will study there for 4 years, thus by the time they graduate, a majority of all genin will be 14 or 15, with the odd 16 and 17 year olds that got held back.

However, there is a school that is mandatory for all kids in the village that covers mostly civilian stuff. Math, history, reading and writing and the more common stuff. I figured it would make more sense if the villages had two schools. One that focuses on future generations of shinobi and one that gives more general studies.

Obviously Naruto will still be neglected, ignored, bullied, and sabotaged during his general studies as well. However, I won't really be focusing on his time there, though there will be mentioning of his time there.

Also, here is the updated Harem list, as per readers requests and suggestions.

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Fem! Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Yugito, Tayuya, Kin, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, and Fem!Kyuubi

Now, I have removed Tsume, because well, she is a bit too old and unlike the others like Anko, Yugao, and such; there isn't much wiggle room to play with her age as much as the others. However, if there is a big enough demand for her, I can add her back into the harem. Others may still be added, so feel free to offer your suggestions and how they should meet!

Also, as some had pointed out, I misspelled Yugito's name in the previous list, sorry about that!

Now, on with the story!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's**

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 2

**Naruto, Age 8**

The young blonde sighed heavily as he made his way through the village. Once again, his teacher decided that he was responsible for the mess that happened in this classroom that afternoon, despite the mess in question was all the way on the other side of the room from him. Either way, it didn't matter to him. If anything it allowed him to avoid the group of kids that had planned to jump him as soon as he left school.

Unfortunately for the group of bullies, Naruto was no longer an easy target. With his heightened senses thanks to being a hanyou, he could easily hear the whispers shared between the group that conspired to bring him more physical pain. Thus, he was able to plan around it and avoid them all together. The wrongfully delivered detention just made it easier for him.

He did find it amusing that the group of kids actually waited outside for him for the full two hours he served his detention, only to discover that Naruto never walked out the doors. In fact the moment he left the class room, he ducked into a corner full of shadows and disappeared. Reappearing a few blocks down the street in an ally way. Using one of his favorite new abilities from the black scroll he had gotten on his sixth birthday, the **(****Shadousuteppu****)** Shadow Step.

A handy ability that allowed him to literally walk into shadows and travel elsewhere in a split second. In theory, he surmised he could use this ability to travel anywhere, whether he had visited that place before or not. However, in practice he only traveled to places he had already been. No need to take unnecessary chances and get lost in the darkness.

"_**Seriously, with how strong you are with your hanyou body, you could have easily floored those twerps."**_ Ahri commented in anger in Naruto's mind. She had become even more fiercely protective over her blonde container over the past two years since they officially met.

'_Maybe, but you have to remember half the kids in the class have parents or family members on the Civilian Council.'_ Naruto replied mentally. _'All the perks I have for being a half demon would be moot if I am locked away in a prison cell. And the old man can only do so much until I become a Genin at least.'_

"_**I understand where you are coming from."**_ Ahri frowned, not that the blonde could see it. _**"I just hate that you have all this power and have to hide it. Speaking of which, why didn't you just **__**use your Shadousuteppu to just return to your apartment. Why come out in the alley?"**_

'_I know Ahri-chan, I know. But my bastard of a father was right about one thing. Deception is a very powerful tool to employ.'_ Naruto stated, a scowl on his face at the mention of his father. _'As for not returning directly home, mostly the same reason. If I am never seen wandering around the village, people will begin to get suspicious and that would put more scrutiny on us. Also, I want some ramen.'_

Ahri could only chuckle in response.

Casually, the blonde jinchuriki made his way towards his favorite ramen stand, ignoring the various glares and sneers that were cast his way. As long as they didn't try anything, he didn't care, and so he continued on his way. As he continued on, his pace slowed as he walked past the now mostly empty Uchiha compound as a frown formed on his face, though he didn't linger long.

Only a few months after the attack on his sixth birthday, Uchiha Itachi had killed his entire clan save for his younger brother and left the village. The official story was that Itachi had betrayed the village and slaughtered his clan in the quest for more power. Though that didn't sit right with the young blonde. He knew there was more to it then that. There just had to be, but he knew the old man wouldn't tell him anything, even if his theory was correct.

Passing the Uchiha compound, Naruto turned right down a small side street that lead to the villages main road, where Ichiraku's was located. The young boy could already smell the tantalizing scent from where he was. With renewed urgency, Naruto quickly made his way to the stand.

"Hey old man." Naruto greeted the man behind the counter as he entered the stand, taking a seat near the far side of the counter.

"How was school, Naruto?" Teuchi asked before shouting in the back of the shop for his daughter.

"The usual, get in trouble for stuff I had nothing to do with." The blonde shrugged as a young girl around the age of ten skipped out from the back of the shop. Flour on her face, as well as some in her brown hair.

"You need something pop?" The girl asked before noticing her favorite customer was here. "Oh, hi Naruto-kun!"

"Good afternoon Ayame-chan, working hard?" Naruto smiled as the girl embraced him in a friend hug, rubbing some of the flour on him as well.

"Yup!" The girl exclaimed. "Someone has to keep this place running."

Naruto chuckled at the girls response and the girls father could only snicker at her antics.

"So what I can get ya Naruto?" Teuchi asked. "The usual?"

"Actually, I was told to request something a little different." The blonde smiled. "The Kushina Special."

At hearing the dish's name, the elder man froze in shock, nearly dropping the bowl he was drying off.

"Naruto, who told you to ask for this dish?" The ramen chef inquired, clearly thinking someone was playing a cruel prank on the boy. This was a dish only one person. One woman in all of the elemental nations could handle and no one has had the courage to order it in eight years.

"I over heard two shinobi's making a bet with each other. Loser had to order a large bowl of that particular dish." Naruto began to explain. "When I heard that your shop made it, I asked them about it."

"I suppose they didn't warn you about why no one orders this dish?" He elder man frowned.

"Actually, they did. I know what to expect and I still want to try it." The blonde smiled. "You can still make it, right Teuchi-oji-san?"

"Of course!" Teuchi exclaimed, feeling his pride as a chef was questioned. "Ayame, let's get to work. It's time you learned how to make this dish."

"Okay pops!" Ayame enthusiastically replied, still unsure as to why this dish was so special to her father.

As the father and daughter duo disappeared into the back of the shop, Naruto felt a little guilty about lying to them. Of course, how was he going to tell them that his very own mother was the one that suggested he try it out.

**Flashback no Jutsu**

_As soon as Naruto's head hit the hospital pillow, the young boy had passed out. Immediately returning to his own, now more lush mindscape to spend some more time with his new found friend and partner, and to also look over the scroll that Jashin had left behind for him._

"_Welcome back, Naruto-kun!" Ahri greeted happily as she bound over to where the young blonde and materialized._

"_Thanks Ahri-chan." Naruto smiled as he was engulfed in a hug from the vixen girl._

"_Here is the scroll that Jashin-sama left." The kyuubi girl stated as she handed her container the black scroll the goddess had left for her new champion. "She said that this will give you an introduction to some of your new powers."_

_"Awesome!" the young blonde stated, clearly excited and the concept of learning not only something new, but something only he would be able to do. Eagerly, he unrolled the scroll and gazed upon the blood red letters that emitted an odd shine to them, making them really stand out against the black background of the scroll. The young boy had to admit that there was something entrancing about the way the letters glowed._

_Just as the two were about to delve into the knowledge the scroll held, a sudden bright flash of white light caught their attention. Alarmed, they stood up with Ahri standing in front of Naruto in a defensive stance, determined to protect the young boy. As the light died down, a lone feminine figure stood in the center of the field, clearly upset about something._

"_MINATO, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?" the woman shouted. "I SWEAR TO KAMI THAT I WILL RIP YOUR SPINE OUT AND BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH IT!"_

_Maybe upset wasn't the exact word to describe the strange woman's current mood. The two remained quiet as the woman continued to rant and yell of the graphic things she was going to do to Naruto's father. As the two silently observed the woman, Ahri's eyes widened in realization._

"_Ku-Kushina-chan!?" The kyuubi girl asked, a little unsure._

_Hearing her name, the woman suddenly turned her attention to the other two in the area. Immediately, her eyes began to soften._

"_Ahri-chan? Is that you?" The red haired woman asked as she slowly approached the two. Earning a nod from the fox girl, she then turned her attention to the blonde haired boy next to the kyuubi. "Then that must mean..."_

_Without hesitation she immediately burst forward and engulfed Naruto into a firm, but loving hug. Afraid to let this moment go as tears streamed down her cheeks._

"_I'm so sorry sochi." She whispered as she kissed his cheek._

_Naruto for his part didn't know what to say or do as the woman continued to say she was sorry over and over again and begged for his forgiveness that he had to shoulder such a burden. A few seconds ticked by before it all clicked into place. Gently, he embraced the woman back. Giving his mother a firm hug._

"_It's okay Kaa-san, I don't blame you." He whispered, tears now starting to form in his eyes._

"_I swear to kami, if I ever get my hands on that bastard of a husband of mine…."_

_"We know, you were very vocal and um, descriptive of what you were going to do kaa-chan."_

_Kushina blushed at the comment._

"_Also, you don't have to worry about him anymore." Naruto continued, earning a confused look from his mother._

"_Jashin-chan took his soul earlier today." The blonde boy explained._

_Upon hearing the name Jashin, Kushina's eyes widened in fear. Also the fact that her son had added the -chan suffix at the end of the brutal goddesses name only elevated her worries. She knew that the life of a jinchuriki was hard and full of suffering, but did her child really suffer so much as to become a Jashinist?_

"_So-sochi, are you a..." She couldn't finish her question, but Naruto understood what she wanted to ask._

_Taking a step back away from his mother, the young blonde let out a sigh before he turned his attention back to his mother. He could see the fear in her eyes about what his answer was going to be._

"_Am I a Jashinist?" He asked for her, before shaking his head. "I am not sure if a simple name like that would apply to me really. I suppose I should begin with how my birthday started."_

_With a frown, Ahri sat down next to her container; not really excited to relive the morning's events again. But, the boys mother needed to know about the life her son has lead so far._

"_Today was my birthday," Naruto began. "You would think a kid my age would be excited for it. But for me, this day always brought pain as it's also the day my bastard of a father defeated the kyuubi. Every year on my birthday, the matron of the orphanage would ensure I was locked or kicked out for some reason or another just so the mobs can organize their so called 'Fox Hunts'. It usually ends about how your imagining it."_

_For her part, Kushina was becoming more and more livid at the actions of the villagers. The same villagers that her ever so loving dear of a husband had promised would take care of their son in their absence should the worst come to happen. Her eyes suddenly widened. This is what that bastard meant by 'taking care' of their son._

"_This year was the worst, and the best at the same time, ironically." Naruto smiled, breaking his mother out of her chain of thoughts. "This time, they actually almost succeeded in killing me. Ahri-chan did her best to try and heal me. But the damage I had taken was too much, especially with the way that bastard had to seal done. It also didn't help that the bastard made his appearance to make sure I didn't tamper with the seal. Bastard even attacked me, to ensure I couldn't get to the seal. Saying he wasn't about to let me undo his sacrifice."_

"_Naruto-kun fell unconscious again after being struck." Ahri started, filling in for when Naruto was knocked out. Though, in theory he could have remembered it either way since they were within his mind when it happened. "I argued with the bastard as he gloated about deceiving you with his lies. Acting all proud and how Naruto-kun would become colder after he survived his experience and become the villages weapon to bring the other nations under Konohagakure's rule."_

"_And then, Jashin-sama came." Ahri continued with a smile. "She took Minato-teme's soul to torture for eternity."_

"_But, his soul was given to the Shinigami." Kushina stated, confused at the events as well as worried that even the Kyuubi spoke about Jashin with respect._

"_Shinigami-sama is her brother, and he gifted her his soul." Ahri smiled again. "After she took the teme's soul, she altered my seal to allow me to feed Naruto-kun more of my chakra to ensure he would live."_

"_It was shortly after that that I awoke to find both Ahri-chan and Jashin-chan talking." Naruto spoke again, bringing the attention back to him._

"_Sochi, why do you keep using chan when talking about Jashin?" Kushina asked._

"_Well, she kind of asked me to." The blonde chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways, we talked a great deal and she offered to give me power, but at a cost."_

_Cautiously, he looked at his mother and could see that she was afraid of what he was going to sigh. However, he was also concerned with how she would react when he tells her that he is now a half demon and Jashin-chan's champion._

"_To help me avoid future 'Fox Hunts' and the hatred from the villagers, she gave me a special power. A blood line if you will. However, the price is I am now a half demon. A hanyou."_

"_Why!?" Kushina exclaimed. "Why would you agree to such a thing?"_

"_Because I was tired of fearing for my life." Naruto bluntly stated, snapping his mother out of her hysteria. "And I know what you're thinking, and no. Jashin-chan didn't manipulate me into agreeing to accept her gift. We talked in detail about the pros and cons of it. In the end, I saw that the pros greatly out weighed the negatives"_

"_It's true Kushina-chan." The kyuubi girl spoke up again. "Jashin-sama spoke the truth about what changes would happen and Naruto-kun desperately needed a way to escape the hunts. Besides, I think he looks cuter now."_

"_Ahri-chan, are you flirting with your godson?" The red headed woman asked in a teasing tone._

"_Godson?" Naruto inquired, confused by this new development._

"_Yeah um, Kushina-chan kind of made me one of your Godmothers before you were born." Ahri rubbed her left arm in embarrassment._

"_Anyways," The blonde hanyou began. "After giving me her gift of power, she made me her champion. When I am ready in terms of skill and strength, I am tasked with restoring Jashin-chans name to the world and wiping out the cults that have defiled her name."_

"_Cults?" Kushina asked. "I was under the impression that these cults did as Jashin commanded."_

"_And there in lies the problem." Naruto sighed. "You see, these cults work in their own self interest and will sacrifice anyone, regardless. Does Jashin-chan want souls? Yes, but only corrupt souls. These cults defile her name. So you see kaa-chan, you don't have to be afraid of Jashin-chan. Okay?"_

"_I see." Was all the elder Uzumaki said. Wrapping her mind around the information she had just been given._

"_But I do have a question, Ahri-chan said she was one of my godmothers, who are the others?"_

"_Tsunade Senju, one of the three legendary sannin." His mother replied with a smile. "Your father though, named Jiraiya your godfather though."_

_"Then I know who not to trust." Naruto frowned. After his first impression of his father, he didn't trust anyone associated with the man; and with what he learned from Ahri-chan, he would wager that his godfather would also seek to manipulate him to further his fathers plan. Too bad Jashin-chan put a wrench in their plans._

_Kushina for her part could only nod in agreement. She never liked the perverted old man to begin with and after her sons experience with his father, she couldn't blame him for not trusting anyone connected to the bastard._

"_Finding who to trust is always a gamble." His mother remarked._

_However, the seriousness of the moment was disrupted at the sound of the young blondes stomach rumbling in hunger, causing the two women to chuckle a little and the poor blonde boy to rub the back of his head in embarrassment._

"_Soon as I get out of this hospital, I am getting me some ramen! Dattebayo!" The blonde proudly exclaimed, not noticing the verbal tick he had._

"_No better ramen then Ichiraku's." Kushina smirked. "Teuchi is the chef of Kami himself!"_

"_I know! Where do you think I get my ramen?" The blonde replied. "Sure those instant ones are good to hold you over, but they taste bland. Though, Jashin-chan says I need to eat more then just ramen to get stronger."_

_"She's right dattebane!" The red head stated, for once agreeing with the goddess of blood and carnage. "You need to eat balanced so you can grow faster and become stronger. Girls aren't going to want a skinny hanyou."_

_Naruto could only smile at his mothers words. Especially the last part, since to him it symbolized that she had accepted his choice and had trust in him. However, the feeling of joy soon began to disappear as his mothers body began to fade._

"_Looks like my time is up, sochi." She smiled as she knelt down, bringing her son into one last hug. Also dragging Ahri into it as well. Knowing full well this would be the last time she would see them._

"_I love you kaa-chan, and I am going to miss you." Naruto wept, fully letting his tears fall._

"_Tell you what sochi, the next time you go to __Ichiraku's, __ask the old man about The Kushina Special." Kushina commented with a warm smile. "I warn you, it is hot. It has to be to live up to my nick name, The __Red Hot-Blooded Habanero!"_

"_I will kaa-chan, I will." he smiled._

_Slowly, while still embracing the two. Kushina faded away one final time. Leaving two grieving individuals._

**Flashback no Jutsu Dispelled**

Naruto couldn't prevent a few tears from falling at the memory of his late mother. It was a bitter sweet moment for him. To finally be able to connect with her, only for it to be so short. Either way, he treasured it. Every second with her was priceless and he would cherish it. His train of thought was soon interrupted as the father and daughter duo returned, carefully holding a large bowl of ramen. Teuchi's face looked like if any drop of it spilled, that it would set fire to anything it touched.

Gently, the old man set the bowl down in front of Naruto with a concerned look. Almost as if silently praying that the young boy would survive this experience. For Naruto's part, he could smell the amount of spices and chilies wafting up into his nostrils, causing the boy's mouth to water in anticipation. Grabbing his chopsticks, took a cautious bite of the noodles. Almost immediately his eyes widened and began to water before he began to attack the bowl with gusto, much to the shock of the ramen chef. He had only ever seen one person in his life, eat this particular dish in such a way.

"That was great Teuchi-oji-san!" Naruto exclaimed once he finished the bowl. "I think I found my new favorite dish."

Teuchi could only look on, completely gobsmacked. He was half expecting the boy to start breathing fire with the amount of heat that was in that bowl. However, the boys reaction clearly told him that he was going to have to restock all of his chilies and spices in the very near future. Speaking of which, the elder man was surprised that the young boy had only ordered one bowl so far. Usually the young blonde would be on his tenth bowl by now.

"I'll be sure to keep the ingredients stocked then." Teuchi smiled.

"Thanks old man!" The blonde beamed as he pulled out his wallet to pay for the meal, only to be stopped by the ramen chef.

"Tonight is on the house my boy. For being the first person in eight years to order and finish such a dish." The old man stated, earning an agreeing nod from his daughter.

"Thanks again old man." Naruto said as he looked up a the darkening sky with a slight frown. "It's starting to get dark, so I am going to head home."

"Ayame, be a dear and walk Naruto home." Teuchi said, knowing full well his daughter had a crush on the boy.

"Of course pops." She smiled as she made her move to join the young boy, only to be stopped.

"Ayame-chan, I can't allow you to do that." He smiled sadly. "You know how the villagers feel about me, and I can not allow you to put yourself in harms way for me."

"I just don't want you to get hurt either." Ayame frowned, not knowing of all the times Naruto had been hospitalized from previous attacks before his sixth birthday.

"I'll be fine." He reassured her with a gentle hug. "Besides, the darkness is the ally to a shinobi. And I am going to be the best shinobi the world has ever seen. Dattebayo!"

Ayame and Teuchi could only chuckle in response at the confidence the boy exuded. They believed that he would make a fine shinobi. Especially with his selfless attitude. The fact that he didn't want to put Ayame in any sort of danger only increased the mans respect for the boy, and fed the crush the young girl had on him.

Without saying anything else, Naruto had left the ramen stand and made his way towards the apartment that the Hokage had managed to secure for him. Of course, like everything else when it pertained to the boy, the village leader was met with some resistance about the course of action. In the end, a compromise had to be made, so instead of the nice apartment that Hiruzen had intended for the boy, Naruto was given a run down apartment in the Red Light District of the village.

To be honest, Naruto didn't mind in the slightest. A more run down place was perfect in his eyes as it attracted less attention. Not to mention, he really didn't want to have a nice apartment ruined for the inevitable graffiti and such that were bound to happen. And it did. No sooner had the blonde moved into the apartment, did the walls begin to get covered in various forms of graffiti. While the vandalism riled up the kyuubi girl to no end, Naruto merely ignored it. Knowing full well that until he became a shinobi, there was little he could do to retaliate in any form.

"Thherere heeh ish." Slurred a drunken man, as he stumbled out of Shushu-ya, one of the villages more popular pubs. Due to it's close proximity of the villages more perverted and carnal secrets. "Lesht's gaht hihm!"

Despite the incoherence of the man, other patrons who were less intoxicated were quick to jump to the mans call. Grabbing bottles and other items that could be used as weapons to attack the eight year old, the group of a dozen or so began to chase after the boy. Paying no mind to the young girl crouched on the roof over looking the street. A scowl dug in deeply on her face.

'_Here we go again.'_ Naruto sighed mentally as he took off down the street at speeds faster then a normal eight year old. Much to the anger of the mob behind him. _'Get enough distance between me and them, duck into the alley and disappear into the shadows and watch as they rage yet another failure to corner me.'_

Ahri could only giggle in response. While she wasn't to fond of running, she couldn't help but admit how hilarious the end result would be. Even she learned a few new profane words from the mobs that failed in their assignment.

As planned, Naruto quickly ducked into the ally way and was running to the end where the darkest shadows were. However, he didn't expect some shinobi to be in the mob as a kunai whizzed by his cheek, catching the blondes attention.

"You're pretty fast for a demon brat." The nameless shinobi stated with a grin as he pulled out another kunai.

"Yeah well, when you have morons constantly trying to kill you, you learn to move fast." Naruto shrugged, not showing any signs of worry. Though he was a bit disappointed that his initial plan had fallen through leaving him no choice but to show off some of his powers in front of witnesses.

By now the rest of the mob had caught up, some of them winded from the distance they had to run to catch up to the demon brat. Clearly not happy about having to run just to catch up with the brat.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that any more." The shinobi grinned maliciously. "Because you won't survive after tonight."

Without waiting for a reply, the shinobi of the group quickly threw the kunai he had in his hand a the blonde boy. However, to both parties surprise, it never made it as a second kunai came from above and knocked the first out of the air.

A few seconds later a lone feminine figure jumped down from the roof. Naruto noted that she had purplish hair, tied up into a pineapple like fashion. Her burgundy tee shirt hiding her figure as a pair of khaki shorts rounded out her outfit.

"You lot are pretty brave when teaming up against a kid." She replied as she twirled a kunai in her fingers as she stared down the mob.

'_Figures, now that I can look out for myself someone decides to interfere.'_ Naruto frowned to himself. Not that he didn't appreciate the help, but with the girl now defending him, he couldn't in good conscious abandon her here.

"No surprise the snake whore would defend the demon brat." The male shinobi taunted, earning a glare from the girl in question. However, her glare turned into a sinister grin as a snake she had summoned previously closed in on her opponents leg.

Without warning, the snake struck, sinking it's fangs deep into the shinobi's flesh. Injecting a massive amount of venom as it did so. Yelling out in pain, the man kicked the snake away before turning back to the woman before him. In a last ditch effort in killing not only the snake whore, but the demon brat as well, he tossed a final kunai with an explosive tag attached to it.

Seeing this, the purple haired woman cursed and turned and lunged towards the blonde haired boy, covering him as the explosion went off, sending massive amounts of shrapnel and other debris all over the alley way. A fair amount hit the girl along her back, ripping her shirt and skin as blood began to pool around her.

Two two pariah's didn't have much time to consider their position as the wall fell over, burying the two in a pile of dust and debris. Luck as on their side as it had left a big enough pocket for them to not be crushed. However, that didn't raise Naruto's hopes any. The girl who had risked her own safety was in serious condition, and he knew that by the time anyone took the time to investigate, she would be long dead, and no doubt he would be blamed for it.

'_Ahri-chan, is there anything I can do?'_ The blonde mentally asked, as he could feel the girls body growing cold from the blood loss she was suffering from her wounds.

**'_There is one thing, but I don't know how the girl will react when she wakes up.'_** The kyuubi girl responded, though already not liking how things were turning out.

'_What do I need to do Ahri-chan?'_

**'_You need to mark her as your mate.'_** Was the Kyuubi girls simple reply. A simple reply that seemed to hit the blonde like a ton of bricks, no pun intended due to the situation they were in currently.

'_Wait. What?'_

**'_It's the only way. You have to inject your hanyou chakra into her so that she can heal.'_** Ahri quickly explained, knowing that they didn't have much time and if her container wanted to save this girls life, this was the only way to succeed. **_'You need to do it now. Just bite her on her shoulder and inject your chakra into her.'_**

Not arguing, Naruto gently turned the unconscious girl around so that she was facing him. He couldn't help but note that she was cute. With some encouragement from Ahri, he leaned down and bit into the girls left shoulder and began to pump his chakra into her.

Slowly, he could feel warmth coming back to her skin as his chakra began to heal her wounds she had sustained from the explosion. Suddenly, off to the left side of his face, an audible pop sound was heard as smoke rose up from the base of her neck.

**'_She must have had another mark, not a mate mark but a servant mark. It felt, tainted.'_ **Ahri concluded. **_'At any rate, your mark over powered it and destroyed whatever was in it. I just hope that mark wasn't special to her.'_**

After a handful of seconds had passed, Naruto released his jaws from the girls shoulder and saw as a black sun like design appeared on her shoulder with a black fox looking head with red eyes in the center of it. The suns flames took the form of tails. Nine of them, sprouting out from behind the fox head.

'_So this is what my mark looks like?'_ He questioned mentally. Liking the design of it. Even Ahri was in awe of how it looked, secretly hoping she would get one too. A blush appearing across her face at the thought.

The blonde boy and his tenant were taking out of their thoughts as the girl before them began to groan, signaling that she was waking up. Slowly stirring, she sat up and groggily rubbed her neck where her former curse mark use to be.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, even though she was. Physically at least. His chakra saw to that. Mentally and emotionally though, that was a different question.

"The hell happened?" The girl asked, still a little disoriented from the events.

"You saved me from the mob that was trying to kill me." The blonde answered, catching the attention of the girl finally. "Why did you risk yourself to save me?"

"Because you needed help." She simply answered with a shrug. In truth she didn't know why she got involved. All she knew was that she just hated the idea of a mob of cowards would gang up on a kid and even threaten to kill him.

Another thing that was making it's rounds within her mind was how she was feeling. She remembered the kunai being thrown, the explosive tag going off, her jumping to cover the boy and then, blackness. Now however, she felt like she was more in tune with her surroundings. Not to mention, despite the blast, she felt no pain anywhere on her body.

"What happened to me?" She asked, looking in the direction the boys voice came from. Only able to make out his silhouette as various clouds covered the moon that filtered into the cracks of the debris pile.

"You were badly hurt." Naruto sighed, preparing himself to be lashed out on. "In order to save you, I had to do something, and I hope you won't be too upset."

Being greeted with only silence, the boy continued.

"Your injuries were life threatening." He began. "In order to save your life I had to mark you."

"Mark me?" her tone was clearly displeased.

"Yes." Naruto sighed as he prepared for the worse. "Truth is, the villagers are right. I am a demon. Or at least a half demon thanks to their attack on me two years ago. So in order to save your life, I had to mark you as a mate."

**'_A potential mate.'_** Ahri chimed in as she began to remember smaller details about the marking ritual. _'**In order for you two to become mates, she must accept and mark you back.'**_

"Sorry, potential mate. This stuff is still pretty new to me." He nervously chuckled.

"Great." The girl sighed. "Another mark. I may as well just start collecting them since I seem to attract them."

"You only have one." Naruto commented.

"What do you mean only one? I got marked by that snake bastard six years ago!" She exclaimed.

"My mark over powered his and destroyed it." The hanyou explained as the moon light lit up the inside, fully exposing both of their faces to each other for the first time.

For her part, she was taken back by how handsome the boy was, despite being a good six years younger then her. His blue ways seemed to glow in the darkness, giving off a sense of intimidation to an enemy, and comfort to an ally. Even more so, she was shocked that she had been freed from the snake bastard by this boy. Reaching up, she trailed her fingers across where it once was only to find nothing. No lumps or anything to show it was there. She did though, feel the slight rise in her skin where her new mark was. Though she couldn't see it, she traced around it's design, making a mental note to take a look at it in a mirror as soon as she good.

"Don't worry, it should disappear in a week or so." Naruto explained. "The only way it would stay is if you were to mark me to accept it and thus, agreeing to be my mate for life."

"And just how would I mark you?" She asked with a slight grin as the clouds covered the moon once more, delving the two into darkness once more.

"Same way I marked you." He shrugged, not knowing just how close to danger he was as he continued to recite what Ahri was telling him. "You would have to bite my shoulder and inject your chakra into me so that they mix and form a bond. However doing this will also change you into a hanyou as well."

Without warning, the girl moved forward and grabbed the young boy, sinking her teeth into his left shoulder as well, drawing some blood to the poor boys dismay as he felt her chakra start to enter his body. Out of instinct, he clamped down on her shoulder as well. Almost as if sealing the ritual and mating the two for life.

Once she was down, the girl sat back and wiped the blood from her mouth. Giving it a timid lick as she noted it's flavor.

"So um, what's your name?" The girl asked in an embarrassed tone.

"Shouldn't we have established that before we mated for life?" Naruto quirked a brow. Though he couldn't help but chuckle. "Anyways, I am Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki, resident demon brat."

"The sexy and no longer single Anko Mitarashi." The girl now identified as Anko introduced herself. Earning another chuckle from the boy in front of her.

"Nice to meet you." He smiled.

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that is chapter two! Hope everyone enjoyed it.

So for some references, the 'General Studies' school is behind the Uchiha compound and across the Naka River. At least from the map I am using as reference for how the village is laid out. Also, I decided to put the Shushu-ya pub just at the outskirts of the Red Light District, which is close to where Naruto's apartment is, hence why he had to pass by the pub. Also, I needed a reason for our favorite Snake Mistress to enter the fray and become Naruto's first mate.

I know a few are asking why Naruto didn't just disappear into the shadows when Anko showed up. The answer, same reason he told to Ayame. He doesn't want any one to get hurt for him if he can help it. Also the fact he wasn't expecting a ninja to be in the crowd this time around, nor was he expecting another ninja in the form of Anko to actually come to his defense as very few have in the past.

Also implied is that our little Ahri-chan is crushing hard on Naruto. And for those who may be confused, her physical appearance in her human form is that of a girl around Naruto's age, so he wouldn't feel too uncomfortable around her.

And speaking of ages, as stated a few of the girls ages will be played with from canon, so that all potential harem members will be within ten years of Naruto's age. So there will not be any severe age gap between them.

We also saw Kushina make an appearance. Which was kind of bitter sweet for me, and I hoped I was able to capture at least some form of emotion as their time together was drawing to an end. Question is, should she come back to life at a later date?

Feel free to answer via private message or leave it in the reviews.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this update, and feel free to let me know what you think, who else should be added to the harem, and how you think they should meet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Notes:** Okay, first order of business!

There is current a poll on my profile: _**Should Kushina be brought back to life?**_

No plans to add her to the harem, however at the same time I am not opposed to it if readers want to see it. So be sure to let me know! If she is brought back, it will be after Naruto's three year training journey. Yes, that is still happening, but things will be vastly different.

Now, I was asked by some in reviews and even in private messages why Anko in the last chapter easily accepted the mark from Naruto and returned it, sealing the mating ritual. The answer, she was too excited that she was free from Orochimaru's mark. Also, I figure it's a very Anko thing to do. Act first and maybe ask questions later.

**ThunderClaw03** – Naruto will have a different summon in this story. I've always been a fan of him having a snake summon over the toads. Also, snakes will compliment his shadow and darkness abilities better then toads.

**Geddiep91** – You know, when I was writing Chapter 2, I didn't even think about adding Ayame to the harem, but I can see how she will fit in to it. As for ramen, sure; in theory it could be one of the healthiest meals to have, but all the noodles in it will have a lot of starch and such. So, our little hanyou needs other foods as well to balance out his diet.

**Deathtoace** – You want more? Here you go!

**StrikerTheFallen** – Thank you for the compliment. And here is the continuation!

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Ayame, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Fem! Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Yugito, Tayuya, Kin, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, and Fem!Kyuubi

As requested, Ayame has been added to the list of girls. Now just need to decide when she will open up about a possible relationship with our young hanyou.

Now, this chapter is going to start off two years after the previous one. So Naruto will be at the age of 10 and will have already begun his time at the Shinobi Academy. Notable changes will be mainly that he won't have his crush on Sakura in the academy, though he will still be annoying in other ways. Like his pranks, and his loudness proclaiming to be the greatest Hokage ever.

Also, he will still be wearing his trademark orange jumpsuit. Though he will change his attire after he graduates and becomes a Genin.

Since there is a time gap, Naruto has learned a small number of abilities he has learned since his initial meeting with Jashin, and a short description of what they do.

**List of Naruto's Abilities**

**Dark Blood (Kurozunda) –** Naruto's power given to him by Jashin, allowing him to control shadows and darkness to a masterful degree. Naruto will explain it off as being a rare blood line, that is rarely seen. Even providing a scroll he got the information from. Though unknown to anyone else, the scroll was forged by Jashin herself to back up his claim to avoid questioning.

**Shadow Step (Shadousuteppu)** – Allows Naruto to teleport instantly if he has been to the location before simply by disappearing into any shadow nearby, no matter how small or large it is. However, theoretically he can even travel to places he hasn't been prior but risks being lost in the darkness.

**Shadow Clone Jutsu (Kage Bunshin no Jutsu)** – Create physical Shadow Clones of himself. Due to his high chakra reserves, the amount Naruto can create at a time is near limitless. Naruto has utilized this technique in speeding up the process of learning his new abilities.

Jashin had taught Naruto this technique herself and explaining it's limitations and benefits shortly after he marked Anko as his mate.

**Dark Clone (Dākukurōn) –** Similar to his Shadow Clone's with the exception that he can only create one, since it is created from his own shadow. A Dark Clone has the same strength as the original.

**Dark Blade (Dākuburēdo)** – Using his 'Bloodline', Naruto can manipulate the darkness element to form various weapons. His preferred weapon of choice is a double bladed scythe currently, though he will expand to other weapons. Similar to Hidan's, though with only two blades instead of three.

Naruto can also control how sharp or dull each weapon is by controlling how much energy he is putting into it. Making it perfect for sparring as well.

**Shadow Sight ****(Shadō saito)** – Naruto's own **Dōjutsu** from his 'Bloodline'. When activated, allows Naruto to see in the dark by making his vision see his surroundings in shades of gray, removing all light and shadows. Secondary effect allows Naruto to see life energy. So if it is alive, Naruto can see it regardless of any masking jutsu's used.

However, individual's like Sasori's puppets and Pein's Six Paths of Pain can not be seen, as they have no life energy. Though Naruto will be able to see Sasori, as he is still technically alive due to his heart.

The **Shadow Sight ****(Shadō saito)** when activated, turns Naruto's eyes completely black, with his pupils transforming into a silver/grayish four point star, with the star points from from top to bottle, and left to right.

Naruto will have a few more abilities to add to his arsenal, these are only the ones he has unlocked and learned how to use now, at the age of ten!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's/Inner Sakura**

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 3

**Naruto – Age 10, Academy**

The young hanyou sighed as he walked into the classroom. The entire morning, his tenant was ranting up a storm over the outfit he had decided to wear during his academy days. A bright orange and blue jump suit that all but screamed 'Kill me!' to everyone. Sure, the female kitsune understood her containers reasoning, but she still didn't like it. And she made it known, vehemently. Naruto only chuckled at the kyuubi girls antics.

Cocking his head to the side, he let out a second soft sigh and quickly moved to his seat towards the back of the classroom, just in time to avoid being trampled by two girls.

"SASUKE-KUN!" The pair of girls exclaimed as the pushed through the door. One with pink hair and one with blonde. Upon realizing that they both called for the same boy, they shot each other a hateful glare.

Naruto only frowned in response of the scene in front of the classroom. These two had been like this the entire month and a half since the academy started. Always vying for position to earn the last Uchiha's attention and affection. Despite it being obvious that the emo had no interest what so ever in the opposite gender. Leading to a few rumors that the raven haired boy played for the other team.

His eyes wandered to the pink haired girl. Sakura Haruno. A girl from a civilian family, though her mother had a spot on the civilian council and was one of his primary antagonizes to constantly try and call for his banishment or execution. Though each attempt always got over ruled by the old man. Despite only having her father to help teach her, since he was a former shinobi though retiring at the rank of Genin; Sakura had initially shown promise of being a capable kunoichi. However, that opinion quickly began to deteriorate ever since she became a fangirl of the last Uchiha.

Allowing his eyes to travel over to the next girl. Ino Yamanaka, hailing from a clan of mind walkers. Naruto had met her father on occasion when he would meet up with Anko after one of her torture sessions. Inoichi was head of the interrogation division, whilst Anko would torture other criminals and captives for information. Like Sakura, Ino had the markings of a great kunoichi; but also like her pink haired rival, she squandered it all for the attention of the brooding emo.

Naruto then turned his attention to the source of the girls obsession. Sasuke Uchiha, only survivor of the Uchiha Massacre. As a result, the boy was pampered beyond belief by the civilians and civilian council alike. As such, the raven haired boy's ego and arrogance had inflated to an insane degree. Constantly thinking he was better then anyone and that everyone was entitled to give him what he wanted in order for him to kill his brother and restore his clan.

Letting out a soft sigh, the hanyou turned his attention to his next class mate. Kiba Inuzuka of the Inuzuka clan. On his head, sat the boys faithful ninken, a white dog named Akamaru. For the most part, Naruto had no issues with the boys clan, but Kiba himself was a different story all together. He was brash, arrogant almost to the Uchiha's level, constantly bragging about being an alpha and that everyone should respect him and all girls should want to be with him. This has caused lots of friction between the Inuzuka boy and his mother and sister.

Naruto recalled one particular moment when the young Inuzuka had even attempted to get with his Anko-chan. Before his mate literally threatened to castrate the young boy if he even glanced in her direction, giving the dog boy a cut on the cheek to emphasize her point. Since then, Kiba had avoided the snake mistress at all costs. Unfortunately, it didn't teach him anything, as the boy continued to harass various girls in the class.

Shaking his head at the memory, the young blonde then turned his attention to another class mate. Shino Aburame. A bug user from the Aburame clan. Like the Inuzuka clan, they were renowned trackers, using their bugs to detect chakra signatures and even neutralize targets by depriving them of their chakra. Unlike his Inuzuka counter part, Shino was quiet and collected. Rarely speaking out unless spoken to. Rarely showing any emotion at all really. Naruto deduced that it had something to do with the boys connection to his kikaichu that forced him to remain stoic.

Behind the Aburame sat the Hyuga heiress, Hinata. Oldest daughter to the current clan head. Naruto noted that she was shy and timid, making the hanyou wonder why she had chosen to become a kunoichi to begin with, as these were two traits that didn't mix well with the profession. Though he surmised there was no doubt pressure from the girls father and clan elders, from the rumors he had heard about the Hyuga clan.

On top of her timidness, he could see the girl already lacked self confidence with the way she dressed. Covering every part of her body with heavy clothing, leaving only her head and hands exposed. Though this seemed to work in her favor, as he modest outfit had kept her off the radar of the Inuzuka boy. To be honest, Naruto wasn't sure how the timid girl would react if the boy turned his attention towards her. Considering her lack of confidence in herself, the Hyuga heiress wouldn't be able to reject the Inuzuka boy and be trapped in a relationship where she would only be viewed as a trophy rather then a real mate, despite the boys constant use of the word.

Frowning at the last thought, he turned his eyes towards the next student. Choji Akimichi of the Akimichi clan, who also owns and operates the villages unique BBQ restaurant that he had visited from time to time as the Akimichi's were one of the few that didn't ostracize him, and it helped balance his diet with various meats his body needed to continue to grow. As for Choji, Naruto didn't have any issues with the rotund boy. Though he did note that the Akimichi was sensitive about his weight, prompting him to retaliate against anyone who poked fun at it.

However, all anyone had to do is just research the basic information of the Akimichi clan, and they would know how foolish it would be to poke fun at them. In a word, the clan was made of power houses. Each Akimichi member able to turn their calories into chakra, giving them a vast supply. Not only that, their own clan jutsu's were something to behold and respect, as it allowed them to enlarge themselves with the strength to match. Choji would no doubt become very strong once the boy hit his prime.

Then there was the last notable classmate, sitting just a few desks away from Naruto in the same row. Shikamaru Nara, fast asleep on his desk. The boys clan techniques were similar to the ones that Jashin had given him, though to a much lesser degree. Manipulation over shadows to entrap their opponents if the Nara's shadow made contact with their enemies. The hanyou made a silent vow not to encroach on the clans own technique, despite it being well within his ability to do so.

If Naruto had to describe the Nara boy in any capacity, it could easily be summed up by one word. Lazy. Everything to Shikamaru was troublesome. It seemed that the only Nara's that were motivated to do anything were the female members of the clan. Which according to Shikamaru, was troublesome.

The rest of the classroom was comprised of various civilian kids that wanted to be a shinobi. Naruto wondered if they were fully aware of the life they would lead if they made it through the academy. Though he knew a majority of the female populate of the class wouldn't make it past the exams in their fourth year. Like Sakura and Ino, most of them were ignorant fan girls, only pinning for the attention of the last Uchiha.

Shrugging it off, Naruto pulled out a scroll from his orange jumpsuit and discreetly released it, allowing a second level Fuinjutsu book that he had been reading. Quickly applying a genjutsu over it to make it appear less suspicious. Already mastering the first level, much thanks to his Shadow Clone technique that Jashin-chan had taught him shortly after he marked Anko. Of course, this lead to a lot of teasing from the goddess herself of how her champion was growing up so fast.

After a few minutes, both of the instructors entered the classroom, prompting Naruto to seal the book up once more and stow it away in his jumpsuit to read later. One with dark brown hair, tied in a high pony tail, a scar across his face just under his eyes. Closing his eyes, the hanyou reached out with his sensory abilities that Ahri had been instructing him on, to gauge a persons intentions. For the most part, Naruto couldn't feel any hatred coming from the scared instructor.

The man was full of pain and sorry over the loss of his parents during the Kyuubi attack ten years ago. Though Naruto could feel that the man didn't blame him for their deaths and actually separated Naruto from the fox. This only caused the blonde to frown a little, since the scared instructor was placing all his hate on Ahri. Though both Naruto and Ahri took solace in that the instructor didn't know the full story of what happened. Perhaps later, when the time was right, Naruto could explain to him who was really to blame for the attack.

Feeling a pair of eyes on him, Naruto directed his attention to the silver haired man next to the other instructor. The hanyou didn't need his sensory abilities to know this man was going to be trouble, just from the look he was receiving. As an instructor, Naruto had no doubt that the silver haired man would do everything in his power to sabotage him. The blonde only inwardly smirked, as Anko had already prepared him for such an event. Knowing full well how the village viewed the boy.

"For the next four years, the two of us will be guiding you all on your journey to become shinobi of Konoha." The scared instructor stated, as his eyes wandered over the class, making sure he had everyone's attention. "I am Iruka Umino, and this is Mizuki

"I know for the past month you had Mio-sensei as your instructor." Iruka continued. "Unfortunately, she will be unable to continue her instructor duties due to personal issues."

While there was confusion among the classroom, Naruto knew exactly why the woman was no longer teaching the class. During the weekend, she had attempted to kill Naruto to in her own words 'cleanse the village of the demon'. Unfortunately for the woman, Naruto was currently on a date with Anko, and the snake mistress didn't take kindly to the attempted assassination. Currently, Mio was in the T&I building, probably being tortured by Anko-chan.

At the thought, Naruto felt a wave of pity wash over him for the former instructor. Anko was very passionate about her job and enjoyed causing as much pain as possible to her subjects. Doubly so for those that she had a personal interest in. And the snake mistress was personally invested in Mio.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." Iruka called out, snapping the blonde out of his thoughts.

"Here." He simply replied.

"Alright, today we are going to start off with..." Iruka began to drone.

Almost immediately the class groaned as the currently lesson wasn't anything to be excited about. No tales of powerful jutsu's, no exploits of brave shinobi taking on entire armies. No, the current topic was politics within the village. Rolling his eyes, Naruto took out his book once more and began reading. Thanks to Jashin-chan, he was already well versed in all of the major villages inner workings as well as their laws.

As the lecture drawled on, with almost half the class fast asleep. Naruto for the most part, kept to his book when suddenly he was hit with memories of one of his shadow clones he left training in the Forest of Death. Immediately blood began to trickle from his nose and a heavy blush appeared on his face. The young hanyou face faulted into his desk, gaining the attention of the class room.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Mizuki asked, with fake concern.

"Just fine." The blonde retorted, not lifting his face from the desk. Letting the memories of the clone that had just dispersed settle. It seems his dear Anko-chan had decided to visit his clones and given him a special message in the form of groping the shadow clones crotch while smothering it's head into her chest.

"Then you wouldn't mind telling the class what Tobirama Senju was best known for." Iruka chimed in.

"Tobirama Senju, otherwise known as the Nidaime Hokage is best known for achieving political stability and implementing institutions that help the village run more efficiently." Naruto explained as he lifted his head off the desk, once he was sure there was no evidence of what had just happened. "As such, he ensured Konoha's continuity and prosperity."

"Ve-very good Naruto." Iruka commented, completely dumbfounded of such a full answer coming from the boy who already had a reputation of being the dead last in the class room. "You seem to know your Hokages."

"Of course I know my Hokages!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping up on his desk. "Because I am going to be the greatest Hokage of them all!"

"Shut up Naruto-baka!" Sakura shouted, earning a round of laughter from the class room.

Inwardly groaning at his foolish display, Naruto sat back down as the class resumed. Though a twinkle of mischief could be seen in his eye. No one noticed that Naruto didn't have a shadow anymore.

'_Two can play that game Anko-chan.'_ Naruto grinned to himself. He had used his proclamation of being Hokage to distract the class from him silently using his (**Dākukurōn****)**, or Dark Clone technique to return the favor to his mate. It was similar to his Shadow Clones, but with the exception that it was equally as strong as him. Down side, was he could only create one at a time. Still, it would get this particular job done.

* * *

**Hours Later**

After what seemed like an eternity, the final bell finally rang, signaling the end of the school day. Naruto waited for most of the class to clear out before making his way towards the door. Usually he would step into the shadows and disappear, but today, something was telling him to take the scenic route back home.

"Ple-please stop." A timid voice begged from around the corner, catching the young hanyou's attention.

"Why?" another voice replied. "Are you going to cry?"

"I say we rip out her weird eyes so we don't have to look at them anymore." Yet another voice commented with a sick laugh.

Rounding the corner, Naruto could see three boys around his age trapping the young Hyuga heiress in a corner. The blonde scowled at this and wondered where the girls guardian was. Moving forward, the blonde hanyou griped one of the assailants arm, just as the boy brought back his fist to strike at the girl.

"You know, one thing I can't stand is cowardly bullies." Naruto remarked, his voice quiet but firm.

"The hell do you want, demon?" The ring leader asked, yanking his arm out of the blondes grip.

Naruto only smirked and said nothing as he waited for the bullies to make the first move. Which happened almost immediately as the one on the left took a wild swing. The blonde quickly dropped into his Hebi stance and deflected the strike towards one of the other kids. With a series of fluid motions, Naruto quickly dispatched the three boys.

"Typical of your kind. You're all tough shit when you can gang up on someone who can't fight back. But as soon as you go up against someone who can, you see just how pathetic you really are." Naruto scoffed at the downed ring leader of the group. "Now, if I ever see any of you approach this girl again. I will personally see to it that you will be eating throw a straw. Do I make myself clear?"

With a quick nod from all three of the boys, they quickly scurried away before they incur any more wrath from the blonde haired boy.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, as he turned his attention to the crying Hyuga girl.

"Th-thank you for saving me um..." the girl meekly replied.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The boy introduced himself.

"Thank you Uzumaki-san, I'm Hinata Hyuga." The Hyuga heiress formally introduced herself.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Naruto asked. The Hyuga clan had a reputation of being taijutsu's masters.

"I-I don't like to fight o-ore cause pain to others." She replied, looking down at the ground.

"Hyuga-san, it's perfectly okay to fight to defend yourself and those you love." The blonde replied. "What is your dream? What do you want to achieve in life?"

"I-I want to u-unite my clan un-under one banner." The girl meekly responded.

"And do you think it will be easy?"

She shook her head in response.

"Exactly, there will always be some form of conflict you must face." He continued. "Hold on to your dream, and fight to see it become a reality!"

The two were then interrupted as a frantic branch member of the Hyuga clan came running forward in a rush.

"Get away from Hinata-sama you filthy demon brat!" The man lashed out, attempting to strike at Naruto, whom merely side stepped the attack, easily avoiding it.

"You're welcome for doing _**your**_ job." The blonde remarked before turning on his heel and leaving the two Hyugas. "See you tomorrow in class Hinata-san."

"You need not concern yourself with the likes of that thing, Hinata-sama." The branch member snidely commented, clearly not liking the boy.

"Be that as it may." Hinata spoke with an unusual firmness in her voice. "He did do your job for you, and your failure will be reported to my father."

The branch member gulped in fear, but bowed his head. Accepting his fate, before leading the heiress back home.

* * *

**Naruto**

After his encounter with the Hyuga heiress, the blonde hanyou quickly made his way across the village to the Forest of Death, where no doubt a very frustrated Anko was waiting for him to arrive. He smirked from the earlier memory he got from his **Dākukurōn**. In true definition of turn about is fair play, the dark clone had snuck up behind Anko and used one hand to grab her by the crotch, while another groped her breast before quickly dispelling.

To be honest, Naruto was the only person in the Elemental Nations that could get away with it, though there would be repercussions.

After a few more minutes of traveling, Naruto entered the forest entrance and began bounding through the trees with the practice of a seasoned shinobi. It didn't take him long to arrive in a clearing where a small army of his shadow clones were training. Off to the side was a very frustrated snake mistress.

"You got a lot of nerve, gaki!" Anko shouted as she spotted the blonde. Though she failed to hide the grin on her face as she approached him.

"Turn about is fair play." Naruto shrugged. "You assaulted my clone while I was in class, you know."

"You act like you didn't enjoy it." She smirked as she hopped down right in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Same could be said for you Hebi-hime." He grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Without waiting another second, both closed the distance and let the lips collide into a feverish kiss, built up from pent up frustrations all day. Mostly on Anko's part. It took all of the snake mistresses mental fortitude to remind herself that Naruto was still only ten years old, despite his body looking at least two years older then he actually was. After a few moments, the two broke the kiss, with Anko having a glazed look in her eye due to the feeling of euphoria of being in proximity to her mate.

Naruto mirrored her feelings. One of the benefits of the mates mark they both had was that they could feel each others emotions and it amplified positive feelings for one another. However, it also increase their own sexual desire for one another. The snake mistress was more then willing to satisfy that desire, but Naruto was firm that they at least wait until he graduated the Academy, which she reluctantly agreed to.

"**I see my two favorite hanyous are behaving themselves."** A distorted voice called as a blood red sphere floated down before bursting, exposing the beautiful goddess of blood and carnage.

"As well as two frustrated hanyous can, Jashin-chan." Naruto smiled as he reluctantly released Anko.

The snake mistress herself had met the goddess just shortly after her encounter with Naruto that fateful night. To say she was shocked would have been an under statement. The usual boisterous kunoichi was completely speechless that her mate was the champion of the goddess of blood and carnage. Though after a short talk with the goddess, Anko converted into being a 'True Jashinist'.

"To what do we owe the honor, Jashin-sama?" Anko asked respectfully.

"**I came to witness Naruto-kuns progress."** The silver haired woman smiled as she ignited a wispy looking black scythe in her hand, giving the appearance it was made from darkness itself. Making sure her champion got the message.

Smirking, Naruto stepped away from Anko as he activated his own **Dākuburēdo**, having it take the form of his preferred weapon. A double bladed scythe, similar to how Jashin's looked with the same wispy appearance, wafting off the dark energy weapon.

"**Dispel your clones, and we shall begin."** Jashin instructed as she erected a massive barrier around the training ground, ensuring that no one within the village would detect the massive amount of energy that was about to erupt between the two. Doing as he was instructed, Naruto began to dispel all of his shadow clones in small clusters as the memories flooded his mind.

Anko took this as a signal to get back a safe distance, retreating to the far end of the training ground, perched on one of the higher tree branches. Giving the snake mistress a good view over the entire field. An eager grin on her face. After all, it wasn't everyday you got to see a spar with an actual goddess.

Silence hung in the air as the two combatants as the two stared each other down. Without warning, Naruto charged forward before abruptly disappearing into the shadows, only to come up behind the goddess and take a swing at her, only for her to twist and block the attack with ease.

Smirking, the goddess retaliated, and unleashed a fury of blows from multiple angles, all of which the young blonde flawlessly deflected before renewing his attack on the silver haired woman. Swinging down hard above her, Jashin brought up her scythe and blocked it only to see Naruto dissipate into thin air. Reacting on instinct, the goddess jumped up into the air, just as the blonde came up from underneath her.

"**Very clever my champion."** Jashin praised the blonde for his ingenuity to use the goddess own shadow as a means to teleport under her. **"Using my own shadow to your advantage."**

"Thank you, Jashin-chan." the blonde grinned at the compliment his goddess had given him. Though he didn't dwell on it as he summoned his **Dākukurōn ****(Dark Clone)** from his shadow and began a two on one assault on the goddess.

The goddess only smirked as she twirled her scythe and deflected all of the blows, before hooking the Dark Clones scythe with her own and forcing it forward only to be decapitated instantly. Naruto flinched at the memory he received, but didn't let it slow him down as he ducked under another wide swing from the goddess, narrowly avoiding her blade.

Seeing an opening, Naruto pivoted and hooked the end of his scythe in between the goddess legs and yanked it as hard as he could, causing the silver haired woman to lose her balance for a split second before she corrected herself and followed the motion her body was going into a perfect back flip. Righting herself just in time to block another strike from the blonde.

The two continued to trade blows for another two hours before the sparring session began to wind down. Despite his abundant stamina and hanyou reinforced body, the young blonde was gasping for air as he fell to one knee, though still determined not to give up. If it wasn't for his accelerated healing, he would have also had numerous cuts all over his body, though only his torn cloths showed any signs that he had been hit.

"**You lasted two hours against me."** Jashin smiled, clearly happy with the how well the young blonde did. **"It seems you have mostly mastered your scythe. The only thing you lack is true in field experience."**

"Th-thank you Ja-chan." Naruto panted, though he did feel a sense of pride to have lasted as long as he did against an actual goddess. Even though she was holding back considerably and didn't use anything other then her own weapon to combat him. While Naruto had pulled out all stops and used everything at his disposal.

"**That being said, while you are proficient with your scythe; I strongly recommend learning to wield a secondary weapon to fall back on."** The goddess advised. **"You may find yourself in areas where you will be unable to use your scythe to it's fullest."**

"Any weapon you recommend?"

"**Seek out Yugao Uzuki."** The silver haired goddess stated. **"She is your villages most skilled kenjutsu users. Her skills easily rival that of Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."**

"I will seek her out immediately then." Naruto bowed his head in respect to the goddess. Even though she had told him time and again that he didn't need to.

"**Until we meet again my champion."** The goddess bid her farewell to the young hanyou before she disappeared, allowing the barrier she had erected fall.

Shortly afterward, Anko dropped down from the tree she had perched herself on while she witnessed the battle. The snake mistress had seen the two spar before, but each time had left her in awe and a bit envious. Silently, she wondered just how well she would fair against the goddess.

"Hey Anko-chan, do you know someone named Yugao Uzuki?" Naruto asked, as she came up behind him.

"Why, looking to get another girl already?" She grinned, teasing the poor boy.

"Not my intention, but you know I am a sucker for strong and sexy girls." He smirked. "But Jashin-chan suggested I seek her out and ask her to train me in Kenjutsu."

"Yeah I know her. She is ANBU Neko. I think you've seen her a few times while she was on duty." Anko commented. "If I remember correctly, she has today off. You may be able to find her at the dango shop."

"Thanks Hebi-hime." Naruto smiled as he brought his snake mistress in for another kiss. "I better go try and find her now."

"You do that, I need to go take a really cold shower." The snake mistress pouted. "That spar got me all hot and bothered."

"I will graduate before you know it." He reassured her as he kissed her one more time before letting them both sink into the shadows.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

After dropping Anko off at her apartment so that she could release some of her frustration, Naruto quickly made his way towards the main street of the village. Ignoring the various sneers and glares he received, the blonde hanyou navigated his way through the busy street until he drew near to the dango shop Anko and told him about.

"While I appreciate the gesture, I am simply not interested in you in a romantic way Hayate-san." A purple haired woman around the age of eighteen commented as Naruto entered the shop.

"I really wish you would reconsider Yugao-chan." The man replied, coughing a little. "I think we would be great together and I would treat you like a goddess."

'_Well, looks like I found her.'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'Now how to approach her without being rude.'_

"I don't doubt that." The woman sighed, clearly showing signs of being annoyed. "But as I have told you. I am already in an arranged marriage."

'_Well, at least Anko-chan doesn't have to worry about me bringing her home now.' _Naruto snickered to himself quietly.

"Come on, your would be fiance doesn't need to know you had a little fun before you got hitched." Hayate replied with a grin, before he started coughing again.

This caused both Naruto and Yugao to narrow their eyes simultaneously. Naruto had always looked down on those who were unfaithful in any capacity. Even more so when those individuals were involved in a relationship. Not having anyone growing up, Naruto took loyalty, honesty, and integrity very seriously.

Yugao on the other hand was absolutely disgusted with what her fellow shinobi was suggesting. It gave her the impression that he only wanted her as a conquest to brag about later. Throwing his earlier words out the window about treating her as a goddess.

Deciding it was time to step in, Naruto approached the purple haired beauty.

"Excuse me, are you Yugao?" Naruto asked, catching the attention of both the young woman and Hayate.

Yugao looked over the young blonde for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly, though not in a disdainful way. In reality, she felt something she recognized with the boy though couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"Yes, I am Yugao." She replied.

"I was told by someone I trust to ask you about training in Kenjutsu." The blonde explained.

"So you want to be a swordsmen huh?" She smiled. "I may be able to give you a few tips, but first I am..."

"I have an idea." Hayate interrupted, earning a glare from Naruto and a scowl from Yugao, neither that he noticed. "How about both of us give you some pointers. I am a kenjutsu user as well. You get your training, and maybe Yugao-chan and I can get to know each other better."

"Hayate-san, I have been patient enough with your pursuit of me." Yugao gritted out. "The answer is no, and I will not seek to have 'fun' before I meet my potential fiance. If you continue to insist, I will make a formal complaint to the Hokage about your harassment."

"Besides," Naruto grinned, not wanting to miss out on getting his shots in since the man had already rubbed him the wrong way. "I was instructed to seek out only Yugao as her skills rival that of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I highly doubt your skills would even compete with hers."

At that, Hayate scowled and left the dango shop in a huff. Humiliated by both his object of desire and the gaki that had interrupted his time with her. The snickering from Yugao infuriated him even further as he quickened his pace.

"Thank you for that… umm"

"Naruto Uzumaki." The blonde introduced himself.

"You said your mentor told you to seek me out. Anyone I should know?" She quirked an eyebrow as she leaned down just a little so that she was face to face with him.

'_**Tell her who I am.'**_ Jashin's voice echoed in his mind.

"Umm, Jashin-chan..."

As soon as he said the goddesses name, Yugao's eyes opened wide in shock. Glancing around to see if anyone was watching them, she quickly grabbed the blonde and used her **Shunshin (Body Flicker Technique)** to transport them both to a secure location. Once she was positive that no one was around, she turned and eyed the blonde.

"Di-did you say Jashin-sama sent you to me?" She asked tentatively.

"Wait, Jashin-sama?" Naruto asked, a little confused. "You mean you're…."

Nodding, Yugao reached under her vest and pulled out a silver necklace with a upside down triangle inside a circle. The goddess of blood and carnage's symbol, signifying the ANBU's faith to her goddess.

In the back of his mind, he could hear two distinct chuckles, causing the blonde to roll his eyes at the two.

"Would have been nice if she told me you were one of her followers." Naruto frowned. "But yes, Jashin-chan instructed me to find you and ask for training in Kenjutsu, since I am already proficient with my scythe and I need a back up weapon to be more versatile."

"If Jashin-sama has sent you to me, it will be my honor to train you in the art of swords." Yugao smiled, proud that she was serving her goddess.

"I look forward to learning from you, Yugao-san." The blonde bowed to his new sensei.

"You wouldn't be Jashin-sama's champion, would you?" The purple haired woman voiced her question, a look of anticipation in her eyes.

"Yes, I am." Naruto answered truthfully, only to see the woman's face light up with a vibrant smile and a look of pure joy and happiness. "Why?"

"Because you're the one." She smiled as she stepped closer, bringing her face to his. "You're my fiance, as per Jashin-sama's instructions."

"Um, not that I want to go against Jashin-chan's wishes, but I have already marked Anko-chan as my mate, and I don't want to betray her." He frowned.

Yugao on the other hand only giggled, catching the boys attention. She found it sweet that he considered his current lovers feelings about it. It was endearing.

"I understand, and it is sweet of you to take her feelings into consideration." Yugao spoke, though she didn't sound upset like Naruto thought she would. "Does she follow Jashin-sama?"

"She recently converted about a year ago." The blonde answered.

"Then I will explain to her." The purple haired woman responded with a mischievous grin. "Of course with it being Anko, she may see this as a chance for a threesome."

Naruto could only face palm.

'_Looks like I am bringing her home after all.'_ The young hanyou thought with a sense of irony.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** Alright, Chapter 3 is done!

Hope everyone enjoyed the little twist towards the end with Yugao being a Jashinist as well. Now to be clear, there are two types of Jashinist in this story. The cultist ones, like Hidan is currently that just want to kill anyone they want for any reason. Then there are the True Jashinist, that seek to restore the goddesses name to it's proper place by only killing those with tainted and corrupt souls.

Also, Hayate will not take kindly to Naruto being engaged to Yugao, but oh well. Who is he to defy a goddess?

Now, before some of you ask. Yes, later on Naruto will be part of the CRA (Clan Restoration Act), though he won't throw his name in until after the Wave mission, so still a few things to cover before then.

Anyways, be sure to let me know your thoughts in the reviews or even private messages!


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Notes:** Giving a warning now, this chapter will have a lemon scene in it, thus bumping the rating for the story up to **M**. So, letting everyone know now, and another warning will be placed before said scene for those that wish to avoid it.

Also this chapter is going to have another time jump, with some flashbacks filling in key elements that had happened over the past few years for Naruto and his girls.

Now, according to the poll; a lot of you want Kushina brought back to life. I will reiterate that when she is brought back, it will not be until after Naruto returns from his three year training trip. There have also been requests to add her to the harem, and a few asking not to add her. So, later on I will create another poll to decide whether Kushina should be added to the harem or not.

**Geddiep91** – Right now, Naruto's two main weapons will be his Scythe as his main weapon of choice and a katana sword. The main reason for the secondary choice, I needed a legitimate reason for Naruto to have to seek out Yugao so he could meet her, and so she could find out that he his her fiance.

However, rest assured, he can form other weapons as needed.

**Riot Bringer** – I thought it was, main reason why I set it up when he first met Yugao with his thoughts about not having to take her home, only to have to take her home in the end and explain it to his Anko-chan.

**Naes151** – There will be more 'True Jashinist' to come. As for Kushina, as stated above as the time draws near, I will set up a poll to see what the readers want to see. However, if she is added, there will be hesitance on both of their parts.

**Biginferno** – As of right now, most of the girls that are willing to accept Naruto's mark, will convert. However, I do need to make a few hesitant because of the current stigma Jashin's name has.

**BJJF691** – Already replied to this in a private message, but in case others are curious as well, will answer here as well. Currently, both Sakura and Ino are still fan girls over Sasuke. Sakura will start to change in the next few chapters and during the Wave mission, will have her world shaken to its core.

Ino, due to lack of being around Sasuke and Naruto as much as Sakura, will maintain her fan girl ways until the Exams. Though I do plan on some interesting interactions between her and Sakura in between the Wave mission and Exams.

**YeagerMeister31** – If you found the previous Naru/Anko moments amusing, you'll love what happens in this chapter. Needless to say, someone is venting six years of frustration.

**SmexehBeast** – I have plans for our wayward Jashinist.

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Ayame, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Fem! Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Yugito, Tenten, Tayuya, Kin, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, Mei, and Fem!Kyuubi

Added Tenten to the harem. Could have sworn I had her name already down, maybe I was only thinking it. Anyways, Naruto can summon weapons made from the element of darkness. You know our little weapons mistress is going to be all over that.

Also, can't believe I forgot Mei! I have a fun idea for how Naruto meets her, but that won't happen until a little bit later.

Also, to clear up any confusion there may be about the ages of the characters. As per this chapter, here are the ages of the girls he is with so far as well as Naruto himself.

**Naruto** – 14 (Due to his hanyou physiology, he looks 16)

**Anko** – 20

**Yugao** – 22

Other girls that are within his graduating class will be the same age as Naruto.

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 4

**Naruto – Age 14**

The blonde hanyou stretched as he got up out of his bed. His body still a little sore from the previous days training. Since his kenjutsu training was coming to an end under his purple haired lover, she was determined to test him in everything with a full on spar. Yugao did not hold back in the slightest. His own body could attest to that. Sure, he could regenerate nearly any injury instantly; but his muscles still carried over the soreness.

Still, he enjoyed it and was thankful for the purple haired ANBU that took the time to mentor him in how to properly use a sword. Even more thankful when Yugao had taught him her two most prized kenjutsu techniques. The Dance of the Crescent Moon **(****Ryū Mikazuki no Mai****)**and the Hazy Moon Night **(****Kasumi Tsuki)**. As well as her Moon Dance sword style, which was something truly beautiful to behold. The style looked exactly as the name implied. An exotic dance, using ones natural flexibility and speed to parry and deflect incoming blows and then retaliate with a fluid motion.

Finishing his stretches, Naruto made his way to his bathroom for a quick shower, grabbing a clean pair of boxers and a towel before turning on the cold water. He gave up a long time ago with the hot water since it was always off anyways. No doubt due to tampering from the landlord. Sure, Naruto could report it to the Hokage, but the old man had enough on his plate what with running the village and dealing with the council, and the young hanyou didn't want to add to it with something as minor as this.

Besides, if the blonde really wanted to take a hot shower, all he had to do was go to Anko's apartment, and he would only have to give up his privacy in the shower. Not that he minded in the slightest, since these times were used to alleviate some of their frustrations, though Naruto still hadn't budged on going all the way until he graduated the academy, much to Anko's dismay. The only reason he hadn't just moved in with his mate was because of the villages stupid laws about non immediate family living with higher ranked shinobi. Claiming it would put the other students at a disadvantage.

Naruto scoffed at that. It was clearly a law that put more favor for the clans of the village then anything about actual fairness between students. The stupid law was the same reason that prevented him from moving in with his other mate, Yugao.

True to her word, the Neko ANBU sat down and spoke to Anko about the arranged marriage that Jashin had set up between her and Naruto, and emphasized that the poor blonde was unaware that such an arrangement was made. The snake mistress on the other hand, took it surprisingly well and was almost giddy at the concept of the blonde hanyou having another woman in his life, citing that he shouldn't get too cocky, because he has to share.

It was on that night after everything had settled, that Naruto marked Yugao as his second mate, and turning her into a hanyou just like him and Anko.

Turning off the shower, Naruto smiled at the memory. The only downside was that since most of the civilians already knew about his and Anko's relationship, mostly due to the boisterous snake mistress proclaiming it, he had to keep Yugao and his relationship a secret from the common populace. The blonde frowned at that, he really didn't like hiding Yugao-chan like that, even though the purple haired beauty told him it was okay.

He knew there was one way to get around that, but he needed proof. Hard, concrete proof that no one could deny, namely the council, about his heritage and clan status as a sole survivor of the Uzumaki clan. The Clan Restoration Act, or CRA for short. Originally Naruto had no intention of even looking into it. He was happy with Anko as she was a kindred spirit and knew his pain. However, upon learning that Jashin-chan had arranged the marriage between him and Yugao-chan, he knew it would come up eventually.

Shaking his thoughts, Naruto quickly dried himself off and slipped on his orange jumpsuit. Chuckling a little at the groan in the back of his mind.

'_Soon Ahri-chan, and you won't have to see them anymore.' _Naruto reassured the fox girl. _'I'll even set fire to them after team placements.'_

'_**That's still going to be a week away at least!'**_ Ahri exclaimed in dismay.

'_We've dressed like this for the past four years, what's one more week?'_ Questioned the blonde with a smirk.

'_**So, when are you going to mark me as one of your mates?'**_ The kyuubi girl asked in jest, though there was a hint of truth and jealousy behind it. _**'I mean you already marked three girls, so when is it my turn?'**_

Naruto smiled.

'_Well, the first one was to save her life. I didn't expect her to mark me back. Yugao-chan because Jashin-chan had already arranged it, and the third girl just felt right as she was the first to actually accept me for who and what I am without any outside interference.'_ The blonde answered truthfully. _'__And as for you, Kitsune-hime. As soon as I find a way to __get you out of the seal__, I will mark you.'_

Ahri was speechless, as a blush crept across her face at her containers words.

'_**I-I was just kidding.'**_ She stammered. _**'I didn't really mean it.'**_

'_No you weren't Ahri-chan.'_ The blonde smiled. _'I know you've had a crush on me since we first met. And I promise, I will find a way to get you out.'_

'_**An-anyways, you need to get ready.'**_ The kitsune stammered, still a little flustered by the boys proclamation.

Naruto only chuckled to himself and finished dressing before taking off out the door. Not bothering to lock it, since it always got busted anyways. Without a word, the teenage hanyou bounded across the roofs towards the academy with precision and skill of a seasoned shinobi, rather then the academy student he was.

It only took the blonde a little under ten minutes to get to the academy. Leaping down, he shuffled into the school building with the rest of the students. Quickly he entered the classroom and made his way to his assigned desk in the back, waiting for the rest of the class to enter. Normally, he would take out his book to read, but he had long since mastered all of his Fuinjutsu books. Not to claim he was a master in seals by any means, only that he had exhausted his own supply on the subject. Also, he was waiting to chat with someone.

One by one, the rest of the class filed in. Kiba entering just after Naruto had taken his spot in the front of the class, trying to chat/flirt with any of the female classmates that was unfortunate enough to have to pass near him. Shaking his head, Naruto instead leaned back in his chair and reminisced about how he came to acquire his third mate. Hinata Hyuga.

* * *

**Flashback no Jutsu **

_**Training Ground 44, Forest of Death; 3 Years Ago**_

_A small army of Naruto clones numbering five hundred littered the training ground as they practiced a variety of subjects and techniques. A hundred was training in a brutal taijutsu that Jashin had given him a scroll for in a martial art from across the seas. This particular taijutsu relied heavily on powerful elbow and knee strikes to quickly incapacitate their opponent. Mostly targeting the head and joints._

_What made training for this particular taijutsu challenging, was that it required the user to condition their body for it. Often times hitting dense objects like trees and rocks to strengthen the muscle and bones and deaden the nerve endings. Luckily for Naruto, due to his hanyou physiology already reinforced, he was able to skip this process and go straight to training in the stance and techniques._

_Off to another side of the training ground, another hundred was training in a different taijutsu that was a stark contrast to the other, more brutal form. Instead, this one relied on precision strikes and speed with a combinations of punches and kicks._

_Over near a small pond, fifty clones sat reading the same book. Each one on a different section about chakra control and manipulation. On the other side of the pond sat another fifty clones with a different book on various civilian skills that would no doubt come in handy in the future for all the D-Rank missions that Anko-chan had teased him about doing when he graduated._

_Finally, the remaining two hundred clones where in the center most of the training ground training with the various shadow and darkness techniques that Jashin-chan had gifted the boy. These clones were going all out, using every skill they possessed in their free for all spar they were currently engaged in._

_Naruto himself was standing at the edge of the training ground, his body covered in sweat from his training, currently taking a small break to hydrate himself and rest a little before he continued. However, he cocked his head to the side and frowned. Someone was watching him train._

_Without his observer noticing, Naruto had switched himself with his **Dākukurōn** and traveled through the shadows to locate the one who had intruded upon his training. When he came out of the shadows behind the guilty party, he was surprised._

"_This forest is dangerous you know." He spoke from behind her, causing the poor girl to let out a shocked yelp and turn on her heel so fast that she fell on her rear._

"_Nar-Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed in shock of being in such close proximity to him. _

_It appeared to Naruto that while their initial interaction after he helped her with the bullies and the speech he gave to her afterwards had re-ignited a flame in her to achieve her dream, it also gave her a hero worship of him and had a tendency to stutter and faint when he got to close._

"_How come you are out here, Hinata-san?" Naruto asked, taking a small step forward. Causing the girl to begin to acquire an interesting shade of pink._

"_I-I-I…." Was all the girl got out before she fainted._

_Looking down at her, Naruto sighed and picked her up bridal style. _

'_I am going to need to break her of that, and I have an idea.' He smirked._

_Taking her to the training ground, he set her down softly on the ground and looked over the clones training. Seeing as the sun was beginning to set, he began to dismiss his clones in small sections before leaving only two remaining._

_One he had henge into the Hyuga heiress and return to her home in her place under strict instructions to act like she would. Even reinforcing the shadow clone with extra chakra to ensure the faux Hinata would last the night. The second shadow clone he instructed to let Anko and Yugao know where he was and what he planned. Even at the coast of the two hanyou mates teasing him of being alone in the forest with a young girl._

_Instructions given out, the two clones departed with their assignments, leaving the blonde and the heiress alone._

_An hour had passed before the Hyuga heiress came to, to the sound of a fire crackling and metal scraping against each other. Opening her eyes, she saw Naruto cooking over a camp fire a short distance from her. Slowly she sat up._

"_You're finally awake." He responded, not looking at her. "Just in time too, dinner is ready."_

_Hinata was speechless as Naruto dished a bowl for her and gently handed it to her with utensils, a soft warning of it being hot. As she held the bowl, she noted how good it smelled as the aroma filled her senses._

_Silently the two ate, until Naruto spoke up._

"_Alright, so this is how this is going to work." The blonde began, looking at his guest. "Despite how you've seen me in class, I am not that oblivious to those around me. I've noticed that you are extremely shy and insecure around me. So tonight we are going to fix that. You are one of three people who will see me without my mask on."_

"_To-tonight?" The Hyuga girl stammered. "But i-it's getting late and I-I need to get home before..."_

"_I've already taken care of that." Naruto interrupted her. "I sent a reinforced shadow clone henged as you back to your compound. So we have all night to work on your insecurities."_

"_H-how?"_

"_Simple. We are going to talk all night. After each hour, I am going to take off a piece of clothing. No, I will not be taking off my underwear." He clarified. Sure, being with Anko-chan had desensitized him a little to shame, but he still had some modesty left. "After all my clothing is off, I will start moving a little closer to you. Understand?"_

_Hinata could only nod her head. Both excited and nervous at the same time._

"_Very well, let's begin."_

_And so they began to talk throughout the night. They discussed everything. From their hopes and dreams to their childhood experiences. Some of which left Hinata shocked and disgusted at the civilians actions towards the boy. She had already known about the Kyuubi prior to meeting Naruto, but she knew that the boy wasn't the fox. The only thing the hanyou didn't tell her was his half demon status, he relationship with Ahri-chan, and his task from Jashin-chan. Those topics would wait until later._

_True to Naruto's word, after each hour he removed an article of clothing. Until he was eventually exposed to the young girl in only in boxers. Eventually as the sun began to rise, both Naruto and Hinata were sitting side by side on the log. The boy still in just his boxers. His plan had worked perfectly, and the once shy Hyuga heiress was broken out of her shell of insecurities._

**Flashback no Jutsu Dispel**

* * *

About six months after that night, Naruto had told the Hyuga girl everything about him after they had developed a strong friendship. She still had a crush on him at the time, but was no longer the shy, stuttering mess she once was around him. It was then, under her request, that Naruto marked her as his third mate. He made sure that she was well aware of the consequences, and she still accepted.

Unlike Anko, Hinata was eager to start learning the shadow and darkness techniques that she inherited from accepting the mark, much like Yugao was.

"Morning Naruto-kun." A feminine voice whispered from behind him.

"Morning Hime-chan." He smiled, realizing the Hyuga heiress had came in through his shadow.

"Don't worry, I made sure no one was watching before I came through." The dark blue haired girl reassured her mate as she moved to the front of him and sat down on top of the desk just next to him.

Like Yugao, he had to keep his relationship with Hinata a secrete. Something he had also warned her about as well, though that didn't detour her. As long as he set aside time to be with her and train with her, she was content for now. She also saw it as a bonus as she received some extra training with Anko as well.

Naruto wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad thing that Anko and Hinata had hit it off so well. Though most of their discussions did revolve around him and his body and the things they wanted to do to it. He was pretty sure the snake mistress was corrupting the Hyuga heiress. Especially if her new outfit was anything to go by.

Gone was her tan coat and modest appearance.

Now the confident heiress was sporting a sleeveless fishnet top with a thick sports bra underneath, though left her stomach in view through the fishnet fabric. Her once baggy pants was replaced with a more form fitting black ANBU style pants. A pair of black kunoichi sandals completed the new look.

"So, ready for the exams?" She asked.

"I'm sure I'll pass, but just barely." He smiled.

Hinata could only shake her head in amusement. She couldn't wait for the boy to drop his mask and really start showing everyone how strong he really was. Though he did stress that he would take it slow, and suggested that she did as well. Not to show off too much of what they could do, especially their hanyou abilities.

The Hyuga heiress could see the reason to that request. Naruto planned on passing it off as a Kekkei Genkai, and if she used the same abilities while everyone knew he was with Anko, it would cause no shortage of problems for both of them. On her part, she would be thrown to the Hyuga Elders demanding an explanation or just straight out accusing her of soiling the Hyuga blood and branding her with the Caged Bird seal. And that was only her problems. She was sure Naruto would have to deal with worse, given his social status in the village.

"Hey Hinata-chan, I didn't see you come in." Kiba stated as he got up from his desk and made his way towards the two. All the while eyeing the Hyuga heiress up and down, licking his lips. "And what are you doing with this loser?"

Once the Inuzuka boy reached the two, he draped his arm over the girl in a possessive manor with a smirk on his face while looking at Naruto, as if daring him to do something. What the feral boy didn't realize was that the blonde didn't have to do anything. Hinata cocked her head to the side and gave the Inuzuka a glare that would freeze the Shinigami's soul. A low, almost inaudible, animalistic growl emitting from her throat. It wasn't loud, but Kiba heard it as well as Akamaru, the latter cowering further back into the boys coat.

"Move your arm, or lose it dog breath." Hinata growled out. Without hesitating, Kiba quickly removed his arm from the girl and unconsciously took a step back.

"Alright class, settle down!" Iruka's voice yelled out above the noisy class room, breaking the Inuzuka boy out of his stupor.

Iruka had quickly went through the role call. Once noting that everyone was present, the two instructors began passing out the written portion of the exams. Naruto didn't miss the glint Mizuki had in his eye as he handed the boy his test paper. The blonde immediately recognized the genjutsu placed over it, giving the test the appearance of a Jonin level test. Ironically, with Anko-chan's and Yugao-chans tutoring, the boy could easily answer this test just as well.

Tapping his finger twice on the paper, he rippled his chakra through the sheet and dispelled the illusion and set to work answering the questions. Purposely answering a few wrong, skipping a few and answering just enough correct to barely pass the written exam.

After an hour had passed, Iruka instructed the class to put down their pencils as Mizuki went around to collect the tests. He scowled as soon as he got to Naruto, seeing the gengutsu he placed on the paper had been dispelled. Taking the paper, the silver haired instructor rejoined Iruka and handed him the stack of sheets to grade while the class was dismissed for their first break.

After break, the exams resumed with the next part of the tests. The "Academy Three", as it was so endearingly nicknamed. Each student was required to successful perform a Substitution jutsu **(Kawarimi no Jutsu)**, a Transformation jutsu **(Henge no Jutsu)**, and Clone jutsu **(Bunshin no Jutsu)**. One by one, each student was called into the next room to private demonstrate their ninjutsu techniques.

In an anti climatic way, this was the finale of the exams for the students to earn their forehead protectors. Which made Naruto scoff at how easy the exams were. It was as if the village was just trying to pump out as many shinobi as possible. Relying more on quantity then quality. Shrugging it off, the blonde hanyou awaited his turn.

He didn't have to wait long before his name was called. With a sigh, he heaved himself out of his desk and entered the adjacent room. Again, he could see the look in the silver haired mans eye, looking forward to the blonde to fail. The instructor knew the blonde had issues with the clone technique and was banking on the brat to fail.

"Alright Naruto, perform a kawarimi." Iruka instructed.

Nodding, Naruto performed the appropriate hand signs and replaced himself with a chair in the room, before switching back.

"Very good Naruto." The scared instructor praised. "Now, perform a henge to look like me."

Without hesitating, the blonde transformed into a perfect copy of Iruka. Even down to the tiniest of details. The scared instructor was impressed with the amount of detail put into the henge. So much so, he almost actually believed himself to be the impostor.

"Alright Naruto, perform the clone technique." Mizuki instructed, fighting to hide the grin that was threatening to appear on his face.

Inwardly smirking, Naruto crossed his fingers and performed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, much to the shock of Iruka as two solid clones of the boy appeared in a puff of smoke. Mizuki for his part, grit his teeth in fury as his plan to manipulate the boy fell to pieces.

'_I'll have to improvise then.'_ the silver haired man thought to himself.

"Na-Naruto, that was a Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, how-how could you perform it?" Iruka inquired, still in shock of an academy student using a B-Rank jutsu.

"Well you see," Naruto began, scratching the back of his head. "Over the last break I talked to Anko-chan about my trouble with the normal Bunshin jutsu and we discovered my chakra coils are way to big to be able to perform such a low level technique unless I make enough to fill a small village. So, she taught me the Kage Bunshin instead."

Iruka only nodded, accepting the explanation. Not knowing that most of it was completely fabricated, It was true that his chakra coils were too big to perform such a small jutsu, and Anko agreed to go along with the story if anyone asked her.

"Congratulations Naruto, you passed." The scared instructor smiled, handing the boy his forehead protector.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei." Naruto bowed and left the room, putting his hitai-ate on his head. Making a mental note to change the color of the fabric later.

Eventually the rest of the class finished their exam with nearly everyone passing. Only exceptions were a group of civilian Uchiha fan girls that ignored their training in favor of their fruitless pursuit of the Uchiha's affection. With the exams over and the school day finished, all the graduates made their way to their respected homes to celebrate with their families.

'_**You graduated, you know what this means.'**_ Ahri teased from the back of his mind.

'_I know, I know.'_ Naruto chuckled. _'That is why I am stopping off to get something to eat. I am going to need all the energy I can get.'_

After quickly devouring a half dozen bowls of the Kushina Special, the blonde thanked the two ramen chefs, giving Ayame a hug before departing and making his way to Anko's apartment. As he neared his destination, he could feel his first mates excitement and nervousness at the same time. Despite her teasing, promiscuous attitude, and choice of clothing; the bad ass snake mistress was still a virgin. As he reached the apartment, Naruto knocked three times before opening the door and letting himself in. In the living room area was an impatient looking snake mistress.

"So, you graduated, right?" She ground out in anticipation, a blush creeping across her face.

For a moment, Naruto contemplated playing with her a little and saying that he purposely failed, but decided against it. She had waited four long years for this day to arrive, and he wasn't going to ruin it for her for a prank.

"See the hitai-ate?" He answered, pointing to the forehead protector on his head.

"You better have." Anko replied. "You. Me. Bedroom, Now!"

Naruto could only chuckle as the snake mistress grabbed him and pulled him into the bedroom before throwing him on the bed and locking the door behind her. Joining him on the bed, she crawled over until she was hovering just above him, looking into his cerulean blue eyes. Entranced by them. Meanwhile, the blonde hanyou stared back into her light brown, pupil-less eyes. He could see the eagerness they reflected as well as hints of doubt.

Reaching up, he placed his hand on her cheek to reassure his snake princess.

"Take your time Hebi-hime." He smiled. "This is both our first time, so lets make it special."

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**!Warning!**

**Lemon Scene Ahead**

**If you don't wish to read this scene, please scroll down to the next bold text.**

**!Warning!**

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Those words were all the snake mistress needed to hear. Lowering her face down, she captured the blondes lips in a heated, but passionate kiss of four years of pent up sexual frustration. Naruto eagerly returned his kiss, as his hands went to the bottom of her shirt, gently pulling it up. Anko didn't resist as she broke the kiss from a brief second to let her mesh shirt fall over her head, revealing that she wasn't wearing a bra, much to Naruto's delight.

However, before the teenager could play with the lady bits in front of him, Anko broke the kiss and leaned up. Her hands shooting towards the zipper on his jumpsuit, and pulling it down. Revealing the black tee shirt he had on under neath it. With a bit of flailing around, Naruto aided his snake princess in removing the orange jumpsuit from him.

"Please tell me you're going to stop wearing those abominations." She commented as she tossed the jumpsuit across the room, leaving the blonde in nothing but his black tee shirt and boxers. Exposing a chiseled body that jumpsuit kept hidden.

"I promised Ahri-chan I would burn them all after team placements." He replied as he took the initiative and leaned up and captured her lips before turning them both so that he was on top.

Breaking the kiss, he maintained eye contact as he began to kiss down her chest, using his left hand to fondle her breast while his tongue went to work on the other one, causing Anko to arch her back in pleasure as she let out a gasp. Slowly, he removed his left hand from her breast and trailed it down her stomach before it go to her orange skirt.

Undoing the clasps, which required a little fumbling as the buttons didn't want to cooperate with the blonde, he slowly pulled off Anko's skirt and remaining fish net leggings. Leaving the snake mistress completely exposed before him, causing the lavender haired woman blush at her vulnerability, but didn't shy away from it as she looked down at her mate in anticipation.

Not wasting any time, Naruto began to slowly kiss up her inner thighs. Using his tongue to lick along her skin. Each stroke of his tongue sent a wave of pleasure through her spine, causing her to grasp at the bed sheets. Eventually, much to Anko's torture and pleasure, the young blonde made his way up to her bare crotch, a faint smile on his face.

"Really Hebi-hime, a snake design?" Naruto commented on the pattern in which his mate had shaved into her pubic hair.

"Well, I am the Snake Mistress." She replied with a gasp as Naruto plunged his tongue into her womanhood. Send a flood of pleasure through her body, causing her to arch her back again as she let out a pleasure moan.

Naruto continued his oral assault on her entrance, letting his tongue probe in and out of her as he played with her clitoris to stimulate her even further. Leaving the snake mistress a shuddering mess as orgasm after orgasm rocketed through her body, causing her eyes to roll into the back of her head as she was dragged through a torrent of pleasure.

"Ah! Jashin, I'm coming!" She exclaimed, as a wave of her climax flooded her nether regions, which the blonde hanyou greedily lapped up.

"Mmm, you're tasty Hebi-hime." He smirked up at her while she panted, trying to regain her breath. Moving up her body, he gave her a chaste kiss, allowing her to taste her own essence. Not that she minded.

It only took a handful of seconds for Anko to recover and throw the blonde off her and pin him to the bed with her being on top once more.

"My turn." She grinned.

Not giving Naruto time to reply, she quickly discarded of his boxers, leaving him in a similar state of nudity as she was. Her grin grew further and she inspected the size of his hardened member.

"I see I am not the only one with a snake." Anko teased and she grasped his growing member. For only being fourteen, it was a respectable eight and a half inches, with a two and a half inch thickness.

Gently, she began to stroke it up and down, eliciting a soft moan of pleasure from the blonde. Smirking as it got the reaction she wanted to hear, she leaned down and began to lick the bottom of the shaft. Her sultry eyes locking onto his blue eyes as she continued to work his shift. Watching as an expression of pleasure washed over his facial features.

Deciding to move things along, Anko opened her mouth and took the tip of his cock into her mouth and slowly began to work her way down as she slowly bobbed her head up and down while sucking on it, like it was her favorite dango. Slowly, inch by inch the snake mistress had managed to take his entire length into her throat, causing her eyes to water slightly.

As she continued, it became easier and easier for her to take his entire length. Naruto's moans of pleasure egged her to continue on with more enthusiasm. As such, she began to quicken her speed. Using her hand to aid her in bringing him to his own climax.

"Anko-chan.. I'm about to cum." He warned her.

This only spurred the snake mistress to double her efforts until finally she was rewarded with a stream of semen shooting down her throat. Clamping her lips around his pulsating cock, she swallowed everything he had to offer. After almost thirty seconds, Naruto's climax ended, allowing Anko to come up for air. Seductively licking the remains of his seed of her lips.

"That was quite the load Foxy-kun." She smiled, taking a drink from a bottle of sake that had been sitting on the bed side table. "And it was rather enjoyable. I do hope there is more."

Smirking, Naruto reversed their positions once more. Looking down in her eyes, he leaned in and kissed her deeply. Allowing his tongue to explore her mouth, tasting the sake she had just drank, plum flavored he noted. Gently, he positioned himself between her legs, looking into her eyes as he did so.

"Are you ready?" He asked with concern. Her only response was to nod.

Leaning in once more, he enveloped her mouth with a deep kiss as he pushed himself into her entrance. Tears formed in the snake mistresses eyes as she felt the pressure push into her as the blonde hanyou's hardened member penetrated her sanctuary before touching her barrier. Breaking the kiss, Naruto looked into his lovers eyes, waiting for a silent confirmation. Receiving a single nod, Anko tightened her hold on him as he drew back and thrust forward, claiming the snake mistresses virginity.

Anko let out a cry of pain, squeezing her eyes shut as Naruto kissed her tears away. Whispering into her ear to comfort her, waiting for her permission to continue moving. After a moment of getting used to the size that was filling her insides, Anko brought her mate into a kiss and bucked her hips to give him permission to continue.

Receiving permission, Naruto began to rhythmically pump his hips. Kissing her deeply as he did so as both began to lose themselves to the pleasure they were drowning in. As they continued, the kisses became more and more feverish as Anko began to plead for him to go faster and harder. It wasn't long before the entire room was filled with her screams of pleasure as the blonde hanyou pounded into her.

"I-I'm almost there, Naruto-kun." Anko panted as she could feel her climax nearing. "I'm, I'm about to.."

"Me too, Anko-chan." Naruto gasped out as he could feel the pressure build up in his core.

"Cum with me." She whispered into his ear. "Cum with me Foxy-kun."

Enveloping her in another passionate kiss, they both moved in sync with one another to increase their pleasure. Until finally both it their climax at the same time. Naruto pushed himself in as deep as he could go, his cock kissing the entrance to the snake mistresses womb as he painted her insides white with his side.

On the other end, Anko's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she arched in back in pleasure as a tidal wave of pleasure hit her body as she was hit with the strongest orgasm she had ever felt in her life. Literally making her legs go numb.

"We're definitely doing that again more often." Naruto smiled as he kissed her again.

"Who says we're done now?" Anko grinned, flipping him over and straddling him in a cowgirl position, lowering herself back onto him. "Let's test out that famed stamina you have."

"I just hope we don't overload the seal." He grinned, referencing the anti-conception seal he had made specifically for this day. Though due to his own resolve, he couldn't test the limitations of the seal. He only knew that it would work.

"Well then." Anko smirked. "We'll just have to test that, won't we. Besides, I wouldn't mind a little clutch of snakelets."

Naruto could only grin. He knew this was going to be a long afternoon, but he had promised his Hebi-hime that he would be all hers today, and he never breaks a promise. Ever.

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**This chapter will now continue as scheduled.**

**Thank you for your patience.**

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**Hours Later**

In a word, Naruto was exhausted. Anko and him had gone a total of sixteen different rounds before they finally had to stop, due to Anko getting called in to work at the last minute. Much to the snake mistresses dismay. In that time, they had been in every position imaginable. Though he did feel relaxed. As if all the stress of life had just melted away. Sighing with contentment, he combed his fingers through Yugao's purple hair.

Shortly after he and Anko had concluded their activities, though with the later demanding that they were not finished by a long shot, Naruto had sought out his ANBU lover knowing that she wanted to spend time with him as well. Though in a different, more romantic way. Unlike his snake mistress, his swords mistress wanted to wait until they were officially married before doing anything. Which he greatly respected. Though, that didn't stop the two from teasing each other every once and awhile.

"So, how does it feel to finally graduate, Naruto-kun?" Yugao asked as she snuggled herself deeper into his hold. Her back resting against his chest as they looked out over the village from the tree branch they were in.

"Anti-climatic." The blonde hanyou replied with a grin. "I was a little underwhelmed with how easy the final exams were. No testing of taijutsu or genjutsu. Just do a written test and perform three easy ninjutsu's and done."

"Blame the civilian council." Yugao snorted, clearly not happy with the current academy curriculum. "They pushed to make it easier for their kids to pass along side the shinobi clans."

"Be that as it may," Naruto smiled. "With graduating, I am closer to fulfilling Jashin-chan's will."

This brought a smile to the purple haired woman's face. She loved that her fiance was dedicated to serving her goddess. After all, he was Jashin-sama's champion and was destined to do great things in her name. Though, a little voice in the back of her head was telling her that Jashin-sama had a more intimate plan for her champion. Still, the thought made her smile more.

Feeling his mates happiness, Naruto tightened his hug and placed a kiss on the base of her neck. Just where his mark was located on her, which caused the purple haired beauty to shudder. As the two enjoyed each others company, a movement off to the right caught their eye, causing the blonde hanyou to quirk his eyebrow.

"Well, that isn't something you see everyday." He commented as both of them stood up, watching an orange figure with a large scroll on his back jump through the trees.

"Naruto-kun, you didn't tell me you were stealing the Scroll of Seals." The purple hair ANBU jested.

"I guess I wanted to surprise myself." He replied with a grin. "Anyways, we should probably stop me. You go inform the Hokage."

With a nod, Yugao disappeared into the shadows, using her Shadow Step ability she had inherited from Naruto upon become his mate. Meanwhile, Naruto took off through the trees after his doppelganger, already knowing who it was.

'_So you're finally making your move and framing me for it eh Mizuki?'_ The hanyou thought to himself when he felt a tingling in the back of his mind, making the blonde widen his eyes slightly. Jashin-chan wanted this persons soul. With this realization, a feral grin appeared on his face and he doubled his speed to catch up to the impostor.

**With 'Naruto'**

"NARUTO! Why are you stealing the Scroll of Sealing?" Iruka shouted as he chased down his blonde student.

None of this made sense in the mind of the scared chuunin. The boy had shown no signs of even thinking to attempt such a thing, let alone actually do it. He had no reason to, since he had passed the test and earned his forehead protector.

"Isn't it obvious Iruka-sensei." The kid replied with a grin as he twisted and threw a few kunai at his pursuer, which Iruka easily avoided. "The Kyuubi wants more power and I am going to give it to him!"

Iruka frowned at the boys proclamation. Now he knew something wasn't right. Naruto shouldn't know about the fox, unless blatantly told him. Even more so, why would a beast of pure energy need more power. Lastly, he noticed the kunai being thrown. Naruto never had a kunai holster on. Claiming he didn't need one.

"That has got to be the worst Henge I have ever seen." A voice sounded from the trees ahead of the duo, causing them both to stop. "You didn't even get my whisker marks right. They are way more defined then that. Not to mention, there is no way my ass is that big."

Stepping from behind the tree stood Naruto. Earning a gasp from Iruka and a glare from his impostor.

'_Shit, he wasn't suppose to be here.'_ Mizuki thought to himself as he dispelled the henge.

"Mi-Mizuki? Why?" Iruka stammered, shocked by his friends betrayal.

"And why do you smell like snakes?" Naruto asked, eyeing the silver haired man up and down.

"I was with that whore of yours." The man replied, trying to enrage the boy. However, Naruto only laughed.

"You know, I might have believed that if I didn't spend all afternoon sating her desires." He remarked, the implications clear, causing Iruka to blush at the mental image. "Also, her snakes smell way different, wild and free. Yours smell like a sterile lab."

The silver haired chuunin growled at this, knowing full well what the boy was implying. Iruka seemed to catch on as well as he positioned himself to attack the identified traitor. However, before he could react, Mizuki threw a cluster of kunai with explosive tags at his former fellow chuunin and launched his Fuma Shuriken towards Naruto.

"Naruto! Watch out!" Iruka called out in fear for his student, only to leave himself open for the barrage of explosions to send him flying back into a tree, knocking the wind out of him.

Naruto only scoffed as the giant shurikan came spinning towards him. With a flick of his wrist, the blonde hanyou summoned a shadow like katana with his **Dākuburēdo** ability to deflect the flying weapon with ease, sending it into another tree, embedding itself at least half way in.

"Not bad for a demon brat." Mizuki grinned as he turned his attention to the blonde.

"Nar-Naruto, run…." Iruka weakly called out, still trying to save the boy.

"Tell me, do you want to know why the villagers hate you?" The silver haired man smirked as Iruka's eyes went wide as he realized who Mizuki was about to do.

"Don't listen to him Naruto!" He yelled out, only to be violently backhanded by Mizuki. Effectively knocking him out cold.

"Why do the villagers hate me?" Naruto asked, deciding to play around with the fool for a bit longer.

"It's simple really." The man laughed. "It's because you ARE the Kyuubi!"

Expecting the boys mind to be shattered at the revelation, he was instead met with a deadpan look from the blonde before the boy started laughing as if told the funniest joke that only he heard.

"I'm the Kyuubi huh?" Naruto asked, sarcasm evident in his tone. "I suppose this was suppose to mentally break me or something?"

"Newsflash teme, I've known about the Kyuubi since I was six years old." He continued. "I mean, kind of hard NOT to connect the dots when everyone keeps calling me 'The Demon', 'Fox Brat', and my personal favorite, 'The Fiend'. Not sure where you idiots came up with the last one, guess the usual insults didn't cut it anymore."

"So you knew all along, guess you are not as big an idiot as I thought you were." Mizuki commented, pulling out his second giant shurikan. "Won't matter, I'll kill you now as one last favor to the village before I give the scroll to Orochimaru-sama. Any last words, demon brat?"

"Yeah." Naruto grinned sadistically. "Jashin-chan wants your soul."

Before the silver haired chuunin could decipher what the boy had said, a sharp pain erupted through his back and chest. Looking down, Mizuki could see a black looking blade sticking out from his chest. Craning his neck, he looked behind him only to see a second Naruto standing behind him. Yanking the shadow blade out of him, the second Naruto quickly swung it around, lopping off the head of the would be traitor.

"One soul delivered, Jashin-chan." The copy said before dissolving back into the shadows to reattach itself to Naruto. He really loved that ability.

The tainted soul of Mizuki delivered, Naruto then turned his attention to his other fallen sensei. Walking over, he quickly checked his wounds before applying a little bit of chakra into him to help wake him up. Groaning in protest, the scarred chuunin opened his eyes and took in his surroundings before snapping up, much to his bodies protest.

"NARUTO!"

"I'm fine Iruka-sensei." The boy smiled.

"What happened? Where is Mizuki?"

"You were knocked out by the teme." Naruto explained as he walked over to where the large scroll laid and picked it up before returning it to Iruka. "I fought him and was forced to kill him."

Silence hung in the air as the man took in this information. Naruto had just taken his first life in service of the village, some he himself had never done in all his years of being a shinobi. The man was concerned with how well the boy was taking it.

"How are you holding up Naruto?" He asked, deciding to voice his concern.

"It had to be done." The boy shrugged before mentally adding, _'For Jashin-chan'_

"Still, it was your first kill."

"He was guilty and corrupt and a traitor to the village with plans to turn over sensitive information to Orochimaru." Naruto explained. "I don't feel guilty in the slightest. If anything, I granted him a mercy. Can you imagine how badly Anko-chan would torture him with what he said about her and his admission to serving that snake bastard?"

Iruka had to shudder at that. The blonde made a very good point. Anko would have made hell itself feel like a day at the spa if she caught wind of what Mizuki had said. Shaking those thoughts away, his attention was turned back to his former student who was now bandaging his injuries.

"That technique you used to stop his Fuma Shurikan, what was that?"

"That is my Kurozunda" Naruto explained, knowing he couldn't hide it forever and had made plans ahead of time. "An extremely rare bloodline that I have only been able to find one scroll on it. I've kept it hidden while I learned more about it."

"As you saw, I can summon forth weapons through it. It's why I said I never needed a kunai holster or shurikan pouch since I can just materialize them out of thin air. And unlike standard weapons, they don't break or dull."

It was at this time that the Hokage and a small squad of ANBU arrived on the scene, including his favorite Neko ANBU. The two briefly made eye contact and gave each other a subtle nod before Naruto approached the leader of the village and handed him the scroll.

"Mizuki-teme stole the scroll and attempted to frame me for it. He admitted to working with Orochimaru. Iruka-sensei can vouch for me." Naruto began. "After Iruka-sensei was knocked out, I was forced to fight Mizuki-teme on my own. In the end I was forced to kill him before he could escape."

Hiruzen was shocked. The boy he had considered a surrogate grandson was forced to take a life, just fresh out of the academy. Not even placed on a team yet. The old man frowned at that. No one so young should be forced to take a life. In service to the village or otherwise.

"Come my boy, let's go talk in my office."

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**Additional Authors Notes:** And done!

First off, hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Had a little trouble writing part of it, namely the lemon scene. Can you believe it's been a good fourteen years since I have fully written such a scene?

As stated in the beginning, with the addition to the lemon scene, this story is now rated M. There will be future lemon scenes, but they are not the focus of the story, so don't expect them too often.

With that said, feel free to continue to give suggestions on who all should join Naruto's growing harem, and how you think they should meet!

And as always, leave your thoughts in the reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Notes**: And so we continue on!

So a few quick things, for those of you who guessed what styles Naruto was training in during the flashback sequence. The styles were Muay Thai and Wing Chun. I chose these two martial arts to be in the arsenal of taijutsu's Naruto knows because I have plans for them in later chapters.

As for the poll, so far a majority wants Kushina to come back, so upon posting the sixth chapter, I will be close that poll.

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Ayame, Tsume, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Fem!Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Yugito, Tenten, Tayuya, Kin, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, Mei, Tsunami, Tsunade, Natsuhi, Hokuto, Konan, Ryuzetsu, and Fem!Kyuubi

A few more girls added to the harem, which I think almost tops off the list. Two of which I haven't seen much of which intrigues me. Also, was given a lovely suggestion for Tsunami which I may use.

Also, **KuronoDono12** pointed out a very good point about not having Tsume or Tsunade in the harem. I stated it was because the age gap was too wide between them and Naruto, when I have Naruto already paired with two entities that are centuries older. So I got no excuse, they are in the harem!

Anyways, enough blabbering, on with the show!

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**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 5

**Hokage's Office, One Week Later**

The elder village leader sighed as he looked over the photo Naruto had submitted for his shinobi identification card. Gone was the happy go lucky smiling face. Gone was the bright orange jumpsuit. Instead the blonde boy wore a black trench coat, a red circle with an upside down triangle with the kanji for _**'Shadow Fox' **_in the center on the back with various other intricate designs, no doubt custom made.

Accompanying the new jacket, the boy had fitted himself a black sleeveless shirt that was just tight enough to show off his physique but not enough to restrict movement. His hands were adorned with two black finger-less gloves with metal plates on the back with the same kanji engraved in them that was on his jacket. A pair of ANBU style pants, along with combat shinobi boot sandals completed his new look.

However, the boys new appearance wasn't what troubled the old Hokage. It what was behind Naruto in the picture. The boys shadow had flared up into a fox head just behind him. Which had resulted in the poor photographer passing out after the photo was taken. Shaking his head, the elder man thought back of the discussion he had with the boy after the scroll incident.

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_**Flashback no Jutsu**_

_Hiruzen frowned as he looked over the boy in front of him. So young and had already taken a life for the village, yet showed no mental scarring what so ever from the event. It was surprising to the aged village leader as even the most seasoned of shinobi had breakdowns after their first kill. Yet Naruto stood steadfast. Putting a privacy seal around his office, knowing that sensitive topics were about to be discussed between the two of them._

"_Naruto, about what happened tonight." He began cautiously. "How do you feel?"_

"_You are worried about my mental state I assume." The boy countered, earning a raised eye brow from the older man. "Truth is, I am fine. I have already rationalized that it had to be done. Mizuki-teme was betraying the village and framing me for his crime."_

"_And about his revelation of the Kyuubi?"_

'_**Are you sure you can trust him?'** Ahri asked from the back of his mind, a little concerned with what her container had decided to do._

'_I am sure Ahri-chan.' Naruto mentally replied. 'Though I intend to keep our relationship out of it.'_

_The latter part caused the kitsune girl to blush heavily._

"_Thing is ji-ji, I told Mizuku-teme the truth." The blonde began. "I've know about the kyuubi for years now. And, to an extent have communicated with it."_

_This revelation shocked the old man, as a sense of fear washed over his face. A multitude of different scenarios ran through his mind of possible outcomes, none of which were good in his mind. Everything from the fox manipulating the boys mind, to fully possessing the blonde._

"_Naruto-kun." The Hokage began. "He hasn't tried to manipulate you or…."_

"_She." Naruto cut him off with a slight smirk. "And no, she hasn't tried to manipulate me or even threaten me. If anything she is more upset with how the villagers have treated me thus far."_

"_She?" Hiruzen repeated dumbfound._

"_Yeah, the Kyuubi is female." Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned._

"_How long have you talked with.. her?" The old man sighed._

"_Since my sixth birthday." The boy answered honestly, almost causing the elder man to fall out of his seat in shock._

"_You've been talking with the kyuubi since you were six!?" He asked in shock. "How!?"_

_Naruto sighed before looking a the old man solemnly. "It was after the attack on my birthday."_

_The answer caused the old man to wince in response, remembering that dreadful night. It was a sheer surprise to the elder village leader that the boy wasn't mentally scared from that night. It still woke him up in the middle of the night at times._

"_She saved me that night and healed my wounds." Naruto continued, opting to leave out the bit about Jashin-chan also having a hand in his survival for that night. "While I was unconcious, we talked and came to an agreement since both of our lives are intertwined together and make the best of the situation."_

"_I see." Was all Hiruzen could say. Slowly digesting the information he had been given. To be honest, he was glad the boy wasn't broken over the burden he was forced to carry. "And you say she has not tried to influence you in any way?"_

"_That is correct ji-ji." The blonde smiled. "We came to an agreement. She helps me by giving me some of her chakra and heightened senses. I make my mental landscape a bit more comfortable for her."_

"_Is this how you were able to use those abilities Iruka told me about?"_

"_No." Naruto replied with a sigh. "That was my **Kurozunda **Kekkei Genkai, or Dark Blood bloodline, if you will."_

"_I have never heard of such a blood line." The old man stated, clearly intrigued by this development._

"_I am not surprised. I awakened it the same night I met the Kyuubi." The blonde hanyou continued, reciting what he had rehearsed for when his abilities would come to light. "There was very little I could find on it. To the point that we have more information on the fabled Rinnegan then we do on my blood line. I only found one scroll mentioning it in our library. I can bring it tomorrow if you wish."_

"_That would be appreciated." The old man smiled. "What exactly does this blood line do and how rare would you say it is?"_

"_As for what it can do. From what I have learned with it and mastered to a comfortable level, I can manipulate the darkness element into hard weapons that are imbued with chakra. Even though it takes no chakra to use my **Kurozunda**." Naruto explained. "Aside from weapons, I can melt into the shadows and use them to travel to places I have been. This is how I have avoided after my sixth birthday. As for how rare it is, from what I found only one person in a millennia has had it at any given time."_

_Once again, Hiruzen was disheartened by the reminder of that fateful day. Though he hid it as best he could. If there was something to take away from it, was that the boy had awakened a very useful ability to aid him on his journey to become one of the greatest shinobi in the Elemental Nations and eventually greatest Hokage ever._

"_Thank you for trusting me with this information, Naruto-kun." The old man smiled. "Why don't you head home. Team placements will be next week. And don't forget to get your photo taken for your shinobi card."_

_Naruto thanked the old man and as a show case of his abilities, melded into the shadows and disappeared completely, leaving a stunned but grinning Hokage._

_**Flashback no Jutsu Dispelled**_

* * *

Setting the photo back down on top of the open file, he looked across at the boy in question.

"Are you sure you want this photo?" He asked. "It could give the villagers the wrong idea."

"Would you prefer I use red and white war paint?" Naruto countered with a grin. "Besides, the Kyuubi is part of who I am. So I shall embrace it and take away the power of the villagers insults."

"Also, since I am wearing this headband." The blonde gestured to his forehead protector. "I am fully legally allowed to defend myself if anyone gets any stupid ideas. I believe I owe a few a stay in the hospital."

Hiruzen could only chuckle at that. It was true, there were a number of villagers that had escaped his judgment after such attacks on the boy.

"I understand Naruto-kun." He continued to chuckle. "Just do not do anything unless acted upon first. If you have trustworthy witnesses, all the better."

"Don't worry Ji-ji, I will only attack if I am attacked first." Naruto replied.

"Very well, head to the Academy." The Hokage instructed as he turned back to the massive pile of papers that seemed to keep multiplying whenever he wasn't looking. "Team placements will be starting in an hour and a half."

"Thanks Ji-ji." The boy stated as he moved towards the door. "Oh, why don't you use Shadow Clones to help with the paper work?"

With that, the blonde disappeared out the door, leaving a stunned village leader. Muttering why he never thought of that before. After contemplating banging his head on the desk for several minutes for not thinking of using the Shadow Clone technique.

* * *

**Academy**

Naruto made it to the academy with plenty of time to spare. As he entered the classroom, the chatter amongst the other graduates suddenly ceased as they took in his new appearance. The blonde hanyou paid new heed to them as he made his way back to his usual seat.

"Stop trying to copy Sasuke-kun, Naruto-baka!" exclaimed the pink haired girl as she marched up to where his desk was. Which to her surprise earned a nod of agreement from her former friend and current rival.

"I wasn't aware the Uchiha had a trademark on the color black, Sakura-san." Naruto countered, pulling out another book he had come across of more advanced Fuinjutsu.

"He-he doesn't." The girl stammered, a little thrown off by the casual manner the dead last of the class had brushed her off. "But that doesn't mean you're going to be cool because you start dressing like him."

Naruto shrugged before casting a glance towards the pinkette.

"First off, the only similarities in our clothing is the color black. That's it. Secondly, your precious Uchiha is over there, go bother him and leave me alone."

Not waiting for a reply, he turned his attention back to his book. This only served to infuriate the pink haired girl even more as she drew back a punch and aimed it towards his head. However, she and the rest of the class were shocked, aside from Hinata, when he effortlessly caught her first and twisted her arm with just enough pressure to restrain her from moving further.

"I won't tell you again Sakura-san." He replied without looking up from his book. "Leave me alone."

With a slight push, he let her fist go. Wisely she retreated to her desk unsure what had happened and how it happened. Naruto was dead last, yet he caught her fist without even looking up from the book he was reading.

'_I hope I am on the same team as Naruto-kun.'_ Hinata thought with a smirk. _'I want a front row seat to how everyone is going to react now that he isn't hiding behind his mask anymore.'_

Slowly, the chatter began to continue amongst the graduates. The main topic now being the change in the dead lasts behavior as well as appearance. Even the last Uchiha showed mild interest in the blondes change.

After some time, Iruka entered the classroom alone, much to the surprise of the rest of the class.

"Iruka-sensei, where is Mizuki-sensei?" Asked one of the students. "Is he sick?"

"No, he isn't sick." Answered the instructor. "A week ago, Mizuki attempted to betray the village. Even going as far to frame Naruto here for the crime, and was killed."

This earned a round of gasps, with a handful of the students looking towards where Naruto was sitting, still reading his book.

"And it was Naruto who was the one who stopped and killed Mizuki while I was injured." Iruka stated proudly.

"Told you Iruka-sensei, I just did what had to be done." The blonde replied before closing his book and putting it away. Finally noticing all the stares he was receiving. Some where in disbelief while others were in shock, and even a handful were in awe.

"There's no way that dobe fought and killed a Chuunin?" Kiba shot up.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Iruka challenged, leveling his gaze on the Inuzuka boy, causing him to shrink back.

"If anyone has any questions about the incident, the Hokage has it on public record that you may view. Now then, on with the Team placements." The scared chuunin stated as he took out a paper and started listing off the teams and their jonin sensei's.

"Team 7 will consist of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki. Your Jonin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."

Upon hearing her name after Sasuke's, Sakura exclaimed that true love conquered all obstacles, much to the annoyance of the last Uchiha. Though upon hearing Naruto's name, she groaned about being stuck with the dead last. Despite being told that the blonde was the main reason the traitor Mizuki failed to defect from the village with sensitive information. She just simply refused to believe the boy was capable of such a feat and simply marked it up as being over exaggerated at best.

"Team 8 will be Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, and Kiba Inuzuka. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi. Mr. Inuzuka, I would get all perverted thoughts out of that head of yours. Your sensei will not tolerate it in the slightest, and she is best friends with Anko, whom I trust you have met before."

Kiba immediately shrunk back in his seat. All joy of being on the same team as his 'mate' Hinata, sucked away. Still, with being on the same team and away from that dobe, Hinata would see just how much stronger he is then that loser Naruto she always hung around with. He would show her what a true alpha is made of.

One by one, Iruka listed off all the teams before instructing them to await for their sensei's to arrive. Slowly, each jonin sensei arrived and called for their teams until finally only three graduates remained in the classroom. A brooding Uchiha, an irritated banshee, and a bored hanyou.

Naruto of course had heard about Kakashi and his habits from Yugao. In short, she didn't have much respect for the man since he was always reading porn in public and had a bad habit of being late to everything that he didn't think was worth his time. Though she did acknowledge his skills as a shinobi. That was about the only thing she respected him on.

Knowing that it was still going to be a good two hours or more before their sensei would decide to show up, Naruto relaxed and retreated into his mindscape.

* * *

**Naruto's Mindscape**

As soon as the blonde hanyou materialized into his mindscape, he was immediately pounced upon by the giggling kitsune girl as she wrapped him in a firm hug.

"Hey Ahri-chan." Naruto smiled as he returned her hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek, which caused the poor fox girl to blush.

"**Aft-afernoon Naruto-kun."** She stammered.

"So, I have some good news." He grinned again. "I think I have a temporary way to get you out of the seal."

At this, the kyuubi girl began to squeal in excitement at the prospect of being about to get out and stretch her legs and maybe even a little more, she thought with a lecherous grin.

"Before you get excited, it's not perfect and only temporary but should work." Naruto warned. He didn't want to get her hopes up only to have it not turn out the way they both hoped it would. "The new Fuinjutsu book I got this week had some interesting techniques in it. One of which leads me to believe I can tamper with the seal slightly to allow you to possess one of my Shadow Clones."

Ahri was speechless. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. However, she was also worried and it showed on her face. Tampering with the existing seal carried with it a plethora of risks. One miscalculation and it would kill her host, despite his blessings from Jashin.

"I know what you're thinking Kitsune-hime, and I share your concern." He acknowledged, knowing the risks involved with tampering with the seal. "Which is why I am not taking this lightly or rushing in to it."

At this point, the fox girl had her head down, hiding the tears of joy that were cascading down her cheeks. Until she felt a finger on her chin gently lift her head up to look into his blue eyes.

"I promised I would get you out." He proclaimed as he brought her into a firm hug, still looking into her red slit eyes. "Then, I can really hold you in my arms."

To her shock, Naruto leaned in and kissed her full on the lips. Sealing his promise to her.

"**Thank you, Naruto-kun."** She smiled, wiping away her tears once more after they had broken the kiss.

"Also, I think Anko has some things she wants to experiment with you involved." He grinned, causing the poor fox girl to blush at the implications. "Anyways, I should leave. I can feel my sensei's chakra approaching."

"Not to mention that Uchiha brat keeps staring at you." Ahri smiled.

"I'll have to tell him I don't swing that way." He smirked before fading away from his mindscape, the giggling of the kitsune girl echoing in his ears.

* * *

**Real World**

Slowly Naruto cracked his eyes open, and sure enough, Sasuke was looking at him out of the side of his eyes, though doing a piss poor job of hiding it. All the while, Sakura was staring at the raven haired emo with a dreamy look in her eyes. No doubt fantasizing about the boy actually talking to her for once.

"I don't swing that way." Naruto spoke up. "So kindly stop staring at me."

Sasuke scoffed and turned away awhile, while Sakura's face turned red. Infuriated that the idiot would even make such an insinuation about her Sasuke-kun! However, before she could scream at the blonde, an older man appeared in the doorway with gravity defying silver hair.

"Yo." the man greeted as if he wasn't three hours late. "My first impression is that, I hate you all. Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

With that being said, the silver haired jonin shun-shined away in a swirl of leaves.

Getting out of his desk and stretching, Naruto made his way towards the door. For a moment he contemplated using his Shadow Step to get a rise out of his team mates but decided against it. They would all see what he could do soon enough. At least to a certain extent. Falling into step at the back of the line, he followed the two up to the roof.

* * *

**Academy Rooftop**

Once on the rooftop, each situated into a comfortable position. Naruto opted to just lean against the wall near the group while the brooding emo sat on a lone pillar stub to ensure the pink haired banshee couldn't sit with him. Sakura instead opted to sit on the floor, between Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Now that we are all here, let's introduce ourselves." Kakashi eye smiled at the trio.

"Um, why don't you go first to show us how to do it." Sakura suggested, earning a deadpan look from her sensei as if to say _'You don't know how to introduce yourself?'_.

"Very well." Kakashi smiled through his face mask. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes or dislikes. My dreams for the future are none of your business. But, I have lots of hobbies. You're up pinky."

Sakura scowled at her nickname, but continued anyways. "My name is Sakura Haruno. My favorite thing is…. Well, it's not a thing. It's a person. A boy…. And that boy is…. My dream is to." She squeals, much to the annoyance of the others around her.

"And I hate Ino-pig and Naruto-baka!"

"Jeez, did I piss in your cereal or something?" Naruto asked, unsure why she would hate him. If he hounded after her like a love sick puppy constantly asking for dates, he could understand.

"Anyways, moving on." Kakashi interrupted before it could escalate. "You're turn Sasuke."

"Hn." The emo grunted. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't have any likes or dislikes. But I do have a goal. I will kill a man and avenge my clan."

'**Sasuke-kun is so cool!'** Inner Sakura gushed.

'_He has the personality of an ice cube.'_ Naruto thought to himself with a frown. _'The hell do his fan girls see in him anyways?'_

'_**Who knows.'**_ Ahri commented, equally as perplexed.

"Last up is you blondie."

"Very well." Naruto began, ignoring the nickname given to him. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are training, learning new techniques, and spending time with my hime."

Purposely leaving it vague since he called all his girls his 'Hime's'.

"My dislikes are those who let arrogance blind them, those that don't take their training seriously, and those that only try to use others and rapists. My dream is to make someone very precious to me proud. And learn more about my bloodline."

'_His introduction contradicts his Academy file.'_ Kakashi noted as he eyed the blonde before him. '_No mention of becoming Hokage and claiming he has a bloodline? __And who is this mystery person he is fond of that he wants to make proud?__'_

"You have a bloodline, dobe?" Sasuke asked in a demanding tone.

"Naruto, you shouldn't lie about having a bloodline just to feel special." Kakashi chastised the blonde.

"I wasn't aware you got to dictate who gets a bloodline and who doesn't. I must have missed that memo." Naruto coolly responded with a shrug, earning a glare from the masked jonin. "And yes, I have a bloodline. It's called **Kurozunda**."

"And what does it do?" the cycloptic sensei inquired, ignoring the blondes earlier jab.

"Manipulation over shadows and the darkness element." Naruto replied. "If you want clarification, the Hokage knows about it and has the only scroll I could find about it."

Kakashi frowned at this, but shrugged it off.

"Anyways, meet at Training Ground 7 at six in the morning for your Genin test." The silver haired jonin instructed. "Oh, and I would recommend not eating unless you want to throw up."

"Wait! What do you mean genin test? We passed didn't we?" Sakura shrieked, causing both Naruto and Sasuke to cover their ears.

"You passed the Academy test to see if you are good enough to be considered Genin." The man eye smiled. "I will warn you, the test tomorrow has a 66% fail rate. Ja ne!"

Not waiting for his genin to reply, Kakashi shun-shined away. Leaving an annoyed Sakura, an uncaring Uchiha, and an apathetic blonde. Naruto had already assumed something like this was going to happen, and was looking forward to seeing what the test was.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow at 9." He remarked. "Oh, and eat a good breakfast."

Like Kakashi, he didn't wait for a reply and disappeared into the shadows, using his Shadow Step ability. Much to the shock of his two teammates.

"Hey Sasuke, do you want to go out on a date?" Sakura asked hopefully after they snapped out of their shock.

"No." Was the emos quick reply as he walked away, leaving the pink haired girl alone with her thoughts and rejection.

* * *

**Next Morning, 8:45AM**

After a restful nights sleep and a hearty breakfast, Naruto made his way to the designated training ground. Only to find is two team mates there, slouched over. Exhausted and irritable. Clearly, they ignored his suggestion.

"You're late!" Sakura shouted.

"No, I said I would be here at 9." Naruto pointed out. "Our sensei has a habit of being late to everything. So I just showed up closer to the time he would decide to grace us with his presence."

Sakura only scoffed and sat back down against one of the poles. Not even caring if she was close to Sasuke or not. With a shrug, Naruto leaned back against the remaining pole and pulled out his Fuinjutsu book as he awaited their illustrious sensei's arrival.

It would be another hour before the silver haired jonin arrived, to find two passed out genin and the remaining one casually reading a book. Though he couldn't make out what the topic was before Naruto sealed it away.

"Well, my cute little genin." Kakashi beamed as both Sasuke and Sakura roused from their sleep, each glaring at the silver haired man.

"You're late!" Sakura yelled with more force then when she yelled at Naruto.

"Mah mah." Kakashi waved her off. "You see there was a black cat that crossed my path, and then I had to help an old lady…."

"Bullshit!" The pinkette seethed.

"Anyways." The man ignored her, turning his attention to the rest of the team. "The test today is simple. All you have to do, is get these bells from me in two hours."

Holding up a string with only two bells attached to them.

"But Kakashi-sensei, there are two bells and three of us." Sakura pointed out.

"Correct." The masked jonin eye smiled. "Which means one of you will be sent back to the academy."

'_So that's his plan.'_ Naruto inwardly smirked. _'The true purpose of this test is teamwork. But he is using a divide and conquer tactic by making us fight __each other__ for a limited resource.'_

"The test starts. Now!"

Immediately both Sakura and Sasuke disappeared into the trees. Leaving on Naruto standing across from their sensei. His black trench coat flapping in the wind as he seized up his sensei. To be honest, he had no doubt he could take the masked jonin. He has after all, gone toe to toe with a goddess. Even if she did hold back. However, Naruto had no intention of tipping his hand just yet.

"You know, this is where you are supposed to hide." Kakashi stated, not looking up from his orange book.

"Maybe, but I have a reputation for being unpredictable." The blonde smirked.

"Upholding that reputation is likely to get you killed in the field." The silver haired sensei replied, still not looking up from his book.

"I'm sure so many will mourn me the day that happens." The hanyou shrugged, earning a frown from his sensei.

Without warning, Naruto flicked out his wrist with two black objects shooting out at a high rate of speed. Though Kakashi easily deflected the two projectiles before they could reach him. However, for a split moment he did look up from his book. Unsure as to where Naruto had acquired his weapons from. Not having seen him wear a kunai holster or shurikan pouch.

'_These are possibly duplicates.'_ The masked jonin thought to himself as he studied the blonde in front of him. _'Probably using them as a distraction. Pretty well thought out for the dead last of the class.'_

Once again, Naruto repeated his attack, though this time with more kunai and at a higher rate of speed. This time however, the silver haired sensei opted to hesitate until the last second when his senses screamed at him to avoid the attack. In a blur, he deflected many of the incoming projectiles. Though still managed to receive a gash on his arm where one tore through his defenses. Eyes wide, Kakashi immediately came to the realization that these kunai Naruto was throwing were solid and a threat.

"Now that I got your attention." Naruto grinned as he crouched and launched himself towards the elder shinobi.

The masked jonin was surprised at the strength and speed the blonde was using as he jumped back and deflected and blocked the strikes that came at him. However, Naruto's speed and power were impressive, forcing Kakashi to actually put his book away and focus on the fight. The masked jonin was event considering using his Sharingan eye with the way the blonde kept him on the defensive. However, suddenly the Naruto he was fighting poofed in a cloud of smoke. Revealing it was a Shadow Clone.

'_A Shadow Clone?'_ Kakashi mentally exclaimed, clearly shocked by the development. _'How did he know it? When did he create it?'_

* * *

**With Sasuke**

The Last Uchiha was livid.

He refused to believe the sight that was before him. The dead last dobe was not only holding his own against their jonin sensei, but actually keeping him on the defensive. Worst of all, it didn't even look like the blonde was trying in the slightest. Which only angered the raven haired boy further.

'_There is no way that dobe should be that strong!'_ He seethed to himself. _'That power should belong to me, so I can kill Itachi!'_

A dark smirk crept across his lips. _'I will find out what makes that loser so strong and take it for myself.'_

* * *

**With Sakura**

The cherry blossom was beside herself as she watched the events unfold from her hiding place, hidden in the trees. Naruto-baka, the dead last was taking on Kakashi-sensei as if it were a light spar for him. It was even more surprising with the Naruto in the field suddenly dispelled, revealing itself to be a Shadow Clone.

'**Who knew Naruto was so strong?'** Inner Sakura stated. **'I dare say he may even be stronger then Sasuke-kun!'**

'_There's no way Naruto-baka is stronger then Sasuke-kun.'_ Her outer self vehemently denied.

'**That little display says otherwise.'** Inner laughed **'Though now that I think of it, Naruto is kind of cute. Especially with those whisker marks. I wonder how the rest of him looks since he is always hiding his body. I bet he is a hunk!'**

'_Shut up! Shut up!'_ Sakura shook her head, trying to ignore her inner self's monologue. _'I love Sasuke-kun and we are destined to be together!'_

"Psst, Sakura-san." A voice came from behind her.

Eyes wide, she slowly turned around to see her blonde team mate perched on the tree branch with her. She would have screamed in shock if the boy hadn't covered her mouth, preventing her from doing so.

"Don't scream." He said as he released her.

"What do you want Naruto-baka?" she glared at him, though quickly blushed now that she was up close to his face, due to their proximity to each other.

'_Those whisker marks do make him look cute.' _She thought to herself, before shaking that line of thinking away. If Naruto had noticed, he gave no indication that he did.

"We need to work together if we want to pass this test." He bluntly stated.

"Why should I help you?" She shot back defiantly. "Besides, Sasuke-kun will easily pass this test once he gets the bells from Kakashi-sensei and then him and I will be on the same team."

"Tell me Sakura-san." Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at her ignorance. Supposed smartest kunoichi in the class, yet she hung on to her delusions. "Have you ever seen a two man cell?"

The pinkette opened her mouth to reply, but closed it. Unable to think of any team that only had two members.

"Exactly, all teams are three man cells, with the odd team getting a fourth member." Naruto pointed out. "Even if a team loses a member due to injury or death, they are quickly filled with a suitable replacement. The only exceptions are apprenticeships."

"Ok, so how are we going to work together?" She relented with a heavy sigh. "And does Sasuke-kun know?"

"Sasuke is too prideful to openly accept help." The blonde explained, holding his hand up when he saw she was about to defend her obsession. "So, when he goes to fight Kakashi-sensei, I will help him so it will at least appear we are working together. While Sasuke and I are fighting sensei, you sneak up on his left and go for the bells."

Sakura blinked at how well thought out this plan was.

"Why his left side?" She asked, a little confused. Why not just come up behind him?

"If you noticed, he wears his hitae-ate over his left eye. Giving him a blind spot." He pointed out. "So while Sasuke and I have him distracted, you should be able to sneak in and get the bells."

"Fine, but if this doesn't work I am beating you into the ground." She threatened.

"If this doesn't work we're all going back to the Academy." He countered. _'Well, she would. Kakashi-sensei is already playing favorites with the Uchiha, so I would full expect him to pull some strings to get him as an apprentice since Hatake holds the dog summoning scroll. And I could easily become Hebi-hime's apprentice since she already let me sign her snake summoning scroll.'_

However, the pinkette didn't need to be aware of that.

* * *

**With Kakashi**

The masked jonin frowned. He had hoped that there would at least be some form of team work between his genin, but so far only Naruto had faced off against him. It still troubled the silver haired jonin that the blonde had not only kept him on the defensive in a pure taijutsu match, but had also drew blood from his ranged attack prior. Fortunately it wasn't deep, but it did sting.

Looking up from his book, he spotted his next challenger. Sasuke Uchiha.

'_Let's see what he does.' _Kakashi thought.

"Taking after Naruto and attacking me head on?" The masked man asked lazily.

"Pfft, I am nothing like that weakling." The Uchiha scoffed. "And I will be taking those bells."

The Uchiha then quickly with through a series of hand seals before bringing his hand up to his mouth.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)!" **Sasuke shouted as a huge fireball erupted from his hand, barreling towards Kakashi.

When the flames died down, it was revealed that the masked Jonin had replaced himself with a log. Looking around, the Uchiha felt the ground move from underneath him, not bothering to look down, the raven haired boy jumped into the air. Narrowly avoiding a grasping hand from the silver haired sensei.

Flipping in the air, Sasuke landed on his feet and charged towards the masked shinobi. The Uchiha sent a flurry of punches and kicks towards Kakashi, each one being blocked or deflected, while the silver haired jonin would read his book. A stark difference from his taijutsu exchange from Naruto. Though, he was forced to focus more on the fight when Sasuke had twisted himself in a half flip while his kick was blocked, and actually touched the bells.

Seeing his attempt fail, Sasuke pushed himself away from his sensei and settled back into his Uchiha style fighting stance. As the Uchiha launched another assault, Naruto bolted out of the trees and attacked Kakashi high, seeing as Sasuke was already attacking low.

'_This is interesting, Naruto seems to be working along side Sasuke.'_ Kakashi thought to himself as he avoided and blocked the oncoming strikes. Though his previous encounter with the blonde had him worried.

"I don't need your help, dobe." Sasuke stated, glaring at the blonde.

"Noted." Was all Naruto countered with as he moved along with the Uchiha to re-engage their sensei.

While the two boys engaged the masked jonin, the blonde hanyou took care as to not make any move towards the bells. He did this for two reasons. One, to not antagonize the Uchiha, knowing that the emos pride wouldn't take it well if Naruto went after the bells. Secondly, he needed to make sure Sakura was included in this plan. Even if Sasuke was unaware of it.

As the two boys kept the silver haired jonin engaged, the pinkette crept out of her hiding spot and got closer to the action. Coming in from the left, just as Naruto had suggested. To her surprise, the plan was working perfectly as she was able to get just beside Kakashi and made a reach for the bells. Until she suddenly found herself in an entirely different location, and Naruto was where she once was. Just in time to receive a powerful punch from Sasuke.

Sakura didn't know what to make of what she had just witnessed. Did her Sasuke-kun purposely attack her just so she couldn't get the bells or did Naruto switch places so he could get the bells himself. None of it made sense to her.

With little effort, Naruto picked himself up and dusted himself off, shooting a glare towards the Uchiha whom only looked at him smugly. The blonde hanyou would have done more, if not for the sound of a bell ringing in the distance. Signaling the time frame for the test was over.

"Well, that concludes this test." Kakashi stated as he looked over his group of genin. "And you each failed to get the bells."

Both Sasuke and Sakura balled up their fists, though Naruto remained relaxed. He knew they had at least in some capacity accomplished the true purpose for the test. So unless the man was going to pull some bullshit, the blonde knew they had passed.

"I must say. I was worried about you three." He continued. "However, in the end. You three did work together. Which was the true purpose for this test."

At this official revelation, Sakura's mouth dropped as she cast a glance over towards Naruto. How did he figure it out?

"Sasuke, you showed great skill in your taijutsu, keep up your training." The masked jonin eye smiled before turning his attention towards the blonde. "Naruto, your brashness could have endangered your team due to you rushing into the fight. Be aware of that in the future."

Naruto only scoffed at it. He could already tell his sensei was going to play favorites to a severe degree. His first clue was during the introductions. Kakashi had given both Sakura and him nicknames, though he called the emo by his given name.

"Anyways, congratulations on passing. You are now officially, Team 7." He smiled. "The rest of the day is yours. Report to the Hokage tower tomorrow at 7am to begin missions."

With that, the silver haired jonin shun-shined away to give his report to the Hokage, leaving is genin alone.

"So, want to go get something to eat to celebrate passing the test?" Naruto openly offered to his new found team. Not that he cared and would honestly prefer not to be anywhere near the Uchiha after the stunt he just pulled.

"Like I would want to waste time with you losers." The Uchiha grunted as he walked away from the two.

Naruto only shrugged and walked in the separate direction to where Ichiraku's was. Not bothering to see if Sakura was following him or not. He had left to invitation open, it was up to her if she wanted to take him up on his friendly offer.

It didn't take long for the blonde hanyou to make his way to the ramen stand. Taking his usual seat, he greeted the father and daughter duo. Noticing a blush on the young woman's face, though he said nothing. However it did make him feel bad that he couldn't return her feelings. At least not just yet. He made a note to put Ayame at the top of the list once he was able to enact the CRA on himself. In the meantime, he promised himself that he wouldn't string her along or play with her emotions.

"Hello Naruto-kun." Ayame greeted happily.

"Hey Ayame-chan!" He smiled, earning himself another blush from the girl. "Six Kushina Specials, please."

"And a small miso ramen please." The pinkette ordered, as she sat down next to Naruto. A little embarrassed about being her. Afraid people would get the wrong idea.

"Naruto-kun, is this a girlfriend?" Teuchi teased, earning a glare from both Ayame and Sakura.

"No Oji-san." Naruto quickly shot that notion down. "This is just a team mate. We are celebrating passing our final test."

"Why such a small bowl?" the browned haired ramen chef/waitress asked curiously.

"I'm on a diet." Sakura answered, earning a quirked eye brow from both Naruto and Ayame,

"Why?" Asked Naruto.

"Because Sasuke-kun likes thin girls." She stated, glaring at the blonde. "And just so you know, I am only here because you offered to celebrate being a team. So don't think for a second that this is a date."

Ayame only rolled her eyes at the pink haired girls antics and disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the orders. Naruto for his part only shook his head and sighed.

"Okay, in reverse order, while you are cute." This caused Sakura to blush, a bit taken back by the compliment. "I am already engaged to Anko-chan, my Hebi-hime." _'As well as Yugao-chan'_

"Also, I already shot down the old man for even implying you as anything other then a team mate." He continued. "Secondly, did Sasuke himself tell you he liked thin girls?"

"Well, no." She answered, still blushing over his compliment. Not even Sasuke had called her cute.

"So how do you know he likes thin girls?" Naruto countered. "Just how much do you know about him?"

Sakura had no real answer for this. Both her and Ino, and the hordes of other fan girls had all started dieting when a rumor began to circulate that the last Uchiha would only date skinny girls. None of them had questioned it.

"Honestly, dieting is harmful for a kunoichi." He continued, ignoring the glare he received from Sakura. "You will never be at peak condition and will lose energy a lot faster. Making you a liability for the rest of the team. Now, if you train like you should, you won't have to worry about gaining any weight because your training will burn off all calories you take in."

"So what, I should just give up on Sasuke-kun?" The cherry blossom inquired with sarcasm.

"If you want to pursue him, go ahead." Naruto shrugged. "But don't endanger yourself doing it."

Sakura frowned at this. It sounded like he was actually concerned for her well being. This was something new to her as she was used to the constant rejection and apathy from her obsession and even her parents didn't question her choices or try and change her mind.

"So what should I do then?" She asked.

"First off, ignore rumors. Rumors are a dime a dozen and are hardly ever true." The blonde boy stated. "Secondly, try to get to know him on a personal level. Take for instance Anko-chan and myself. We literally know everything about each other. Or dreams, our goals, and even some of our odd quirks we have."

In a word, Sakura was shocked. She had half expected the blonde boy to tell her to give up all together on Sasuke and maybe even purse him instead. Though perhaps that later part was due to being around Kiba too much, since her seat in class was near his. However, to see just how much he understood about the importance of a strong relationship surprised her. She was shaken out of her thoughts when their orders arrived.

Thanking Ayame, both began to dig into their respective meals. Sakura was a little worried about the scent coming for the blondes bowl. Almost making her eyes tear up from all the spices and chili's in it. However, one thing was pestering her. Well, with a little goading from her inner self.

"Naruto." She spoke, leaving out her usual insult to his name. "What happened during the bell test? Why did you switch places with me?"

Naruto could only sigh, he knew she wasn't going to take this well.

"You want the truth?" He asked, seeing her nod her head. "When you were reaching for the bells, Sasuke saw you and went to punch you instead of Kakashi-sensei. I switched myself with you to take the hit, so you wouldn't get hurt."

Sakura was silent as she digested what the blonde boy had just told her. Deep inside, she knew it was true but she just didn't want to admit it. Maybe it was an accident? Yes, it was an accident. Sasuke-kun would never do that to her. She decided to voice her thoughts.

"Maybe it was an accident?" She offered, causing Naruto to raise his eyebrow in response.

"Maybe." He relented, even though he knew it wasn't. _'Jashin, I hope she wakes up soon about the prick before she gets really hurt.'_

In the back of his mind he could hear Ahri ranting and raving about how blind the girl was and so on. So much so, that Naruto had to close off the link to avoid getting a severe headache.

* * *

**Hokage Tower**

Hiruzen sat behind his desk as he listened to each of the Jonin-sensei's give their reports on how each of their respected teams did. Unsurprising, most of the teams failed their tests, prompting them to be sent back to the academy in hopes for better luck next year. Fortunately, only one severe injury. Unfortunately, the one injured was Kiba Inuzuka.

It appeared he had made a rather lewd comment about his sensei's attire and was trapped in a genjutsu that could only be described as nightmarish. The only reason Team Eight had passed was mostly due to sympathy on Kurenai's part. However, the Hokage let it slide. Shino was very adapt in his clans abilities, and despite his attitude the Inuzuka boy was also skilled in his own way. His only concern was for the Hyuga girl, though it appeared over the last few years she had grown into her own person.

"Team 7, passed." Kakashi stated from his perch on the windowsill, still reading his orange book. Much to the annoyance of the other jonin in the room. Namely the red eyed beauty that despised such things.

"And how did they do?" Hiruzen asked with curiosity.

"Sakura is book smart, though her physical abilities leave a lot to be desired. Naruto is quick to rush into things, and needs severe improvement in his taijutsu abilities." Kakashi reported, "As for Sasuke, he is a true elite. His taijutsu is exceptional for his age, as well as his ninjutsu abilities."

"I see." The hokage replied. "And who gave you that cut on your arm?"

"It was a lucky shot from Naruto." The masked jonin shrugged.

Hiruzen frowned. If he hadn't watched Naruto through his crystal ball, he would have believed Kakashi's report. However, since he didn't feel any malice from the jonin-sensei of Team Seven, he let it slide. At least for now.

"Very well, have your teams report for their first missions tomorrow. Dismissed."

And thus, the journey of Team Seven would begin.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes: **Alright, chapter done.

Hope everyone enjoyed this quick update. And as always, leave your thoughts in the reviews. Last reminder. The poll for Kushina being brought back to life closed upon the sixth chapter being uploaded! So get those votes in!


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Notes:** Alright, poll is closed and it looks like Kushina will be brought back to life later on in the story. As I said, I am planning on having her return during Naruto's three year training trip. Probably towards the end.

**New poll up! Should Kushina join the harem?**

Vote on my profile!

Also, a reminder. Naruto has black streaks in his hair. Even though I just refer to him as being blonde. This trait also carries over to his mates as well. So yes, Anko, Yugao, and Hinata have dark streaks as well.

**Guest Reviewer** – This is just a classic Kakashi playing favorites with the Uchiha, trying to honor his promise to his fallen team mate.

**ThunderClaw03** – Fear not, I have plans for Kakashi in the future. Though Kushina will be quite upset.

**YeagerMeister31** – Well the Tora mission of course, duh! Lol

**Phantom4ever1199** – That could be arranged. Karin would make a good addition to the group.

**Kynan99** – Um, you're welcome?

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Ayame, Tsume, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Karin, Fem!Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Yugito, Tenten, Tayuya, Kin, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, Mei, Tsunami, Tsunade, Shizune, Natsuhi, Hokuto, Konan, Ryuzetsu, and Fem!Kyuubi

I believe that tops off the harem. Since pretty much all of the major female characters are in it. So if you have any ideas of how our hanyou should meet his lovely ladies, let me know!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's/Inner Sakura**

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 6

**Somewhere**

A young woman, no older then twenty-five, slowly made her way down the darkened steps to her basement in the early hours of the morning. Just before the rest of the household would wake up to start their day.

Reaching the bottom, she produced a key from her blouse and unlocked the door at the far back of the basement. Once open, she quickly entered and locked the door behind her. Not wanting anyone to interrupt what she was about to do.

The room she entered wasn't very large. About the size of a broom closet, though this room held nothing of cleaning tools. No, on the floor was a red circle with an upside down triangle in it. Just in front of the circle was an alter that held a bowl and a knife. Kneeling down in the center of the circle, the woman removed her necklace and draped it over the alter before picking up the knife.

"Jashin-sama, I pray unto thee to come claim the tainted soul that corrupts and spoils our land." The woman began to pray as she brought the knife to her left arm before cutting deep into her under fore arm. Letting the blood flow down into the bowl on the alter. "I give my blood as an offering."

If she was in any pain, her face didn't show it. If anything, it looked as if she were full of bliss. A few minutes passed in silence as the blood pooled into the bottom of the bowl. Slowly, the blood began to glow and swirl on it's own, forming into a floating sphere that began to rise until it was at the same height as the woman's face.

"**My child, I have heard your prayers."**A distorted voice echoed from the sphere of blood. **"Take heart my child. In two weeks time, you will be sheltered by the shadow of the fox."**

It's message deliver, the blood sphere dissolved in mid air, leaving nothing behind but a smiling woman. Putting the knife back next to the bowl, she put her necklace back on before kissing the pendant.

"Thank you, Jashin-sama." She whispered as she got up from her kneeling position and exited the room. Being sure to lock the door once more.

"Tsunami!" A voice called from upstairs. "I'm heading to Konoha, I'll be back in two weeks!"

"Have a safe trip!" She called back with a smile.

* * *

**Konoha**

In a word, annoyed.

That would be the best way to describe the blonde hanyou at the moment. Even with the warnings from both Anko and Yugao, he never expected it to be this bad. Nothing but D-rank missions for the last month. They were assigned to do everything from painting fences, pulling weeds, and walking dogs. Nothing but common chores that the civilians were too lazy to do, though there were a few exceptions of some of them legitimately needing help.

Kakashi had spouted off some nonsense about it building team work for the team, but there hasn't been any of that as Sasuke would always isolate himself furthest from the others while they worked. The cycloptic jonin for his part wouldn't lift a finger to help either, instead choosing to keep his nose buried in his book of smut. Much to Sakura's annoyance.

Speaking of the cherry blossom, at least things were civil between her and the blonde hanyou. After there team celebration lunch and the talk they had, both had silently agreed to come to an understanding and decided to at least work as a team as required. Naruto was at least glad she had heeded some of his advice and started training a bit harder and had stopped her dieting. While her training was no where near as rigorous as his was, it was a step in the right direction.

Currently, they were on the most dreaded of all D-rank missions. The mission all genin squads and even some ANBU dreaded. Catch Tora.

"Dog, in position." The silver haired jonin informed through his radio as he peered around the tree he was hiding behind, spotting the beast. "Target is sighted."

"Raven in position." Sasuke replied from his position just across from Kakashi, in a similar tree.

"Cherry Blossom in position." The pinkette answered from her hiding spot in the bushes.

"Shadow Fox in position." Came the hanyou's reply from where he was hidden in the shadows the trees and foliage provided.

"You two were not to change your call signs." Kakashi chastised both Naruto and Sakura. "You are Pinky and Blondie."

Naruto only rolled his eyes at his sensei's words. The favoritism that the masked jonin was showing was becoming annoying to the blonde hanyou. Even Sakura was noticing it, even though she kept her mouth shut and trusted her sensei, Naruto could see it was starting to get on her nerves. Especially after a training session, Kakashi would dismiss Sakura and Naruto and hold Sasuke behind for a private training session.

"Target is heading in your direction, Cherry Blossom." Naruto responded, alerting his team of the change of direction their prey was heading.

"Acknowledged, Shadow Fox." Sakura replied with a slight smirk, knowing that using their self chosen call signs was getting on her sensei's nerves. "Belay that, target is back tracking to your position."

"Roger that, moving in to intercept."

Naruto didn't for a reply as he moved from his position and did something that none of his team expected. He sat down in front of the beast and waiting. After a few seconds of the beast staring down the young hanyou, it moved towards the boy and sniffed the boys waiting hand before nuzzling against it. Everyone watched as the beast with brown fur and black stripes settled into the blondes lap, purring in contentment.

"Confirming target, ribbon on it's right ear. Tiger striped markings, and brown coat." Naruto reported into the radio. "Confirmed, target is Tora."

"That was anti-climatic." Sakura commented with a frown.

Kakashi and Sasuke could only nod in agreement. All the horror stories from other teams about the beast now purring in Naruto's lap and given the team an image of a blood thirsty beast that would devour them if they made one mistake.

"Let's report our success." Kakashi stated, though he frowned at the blonde holding the cat. Once again, the boy acted without being ordered to.

'_**You mean Naruto's success!'**_ Ahri ranted from the back of Naruto's mind.

'_Don't mind him Kitsune-hime.'_ The boy mentally replied. _'He's just pissed that I upstaged his precious Uchiha again.'_

Cradling Tora in his arms, Naruto got up and walked along with his team towards the Hokage tower where the client was waiting with the Hokage. Not just any client, the wife of the Fire Daimyo herself.

* * *

**Hokage Tower, 5 Minutes Later**

After a short walk, Team 7 found themselves in the office of the Hokage, To the side of Hiruzen's desk stood an averaged height woman with a slender figure, dressed in a red luxurious kimono showing a fair bit of cleavage, with an assortment of jewelry adorning her fingers and neck. One thing that struck Naruto as being odd, was the fact that almost all of the woman's jewelry was gold, except one lone necklace with a silver chain.

"Capture Tora mission, a success." Kakashi reported.

"Oh, my precious baby." The woman quickly rushed to where Naruto was and scooped the cat out of his arms and hugged it tightly against her ample chest. "Did you miss mommy? I bet you were so scared out there all alone!"

The scene before them caused each member of Team 7 to sweat drop.

"Very good Kakashi." The village elder stated. "Payment will be transferred to your individual accounts. You're dismissed."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed before turning and dismissing his team for the afternoon.

Receiving the dismissal, Naruto approached the woman who was still crushing the poor cat, whom was now struggling to escape once more, in a hug.

"Excuse me um…." Naruto began, catching the woman's attention as well as his teams, earning a scowl from Kakashi.

"Shijimi, cutie." She smiled as she introduced herself to the bold genin that had approached her.

"With respect Shijimi-dono." The boy continued. "I believe I know why Tora keeps running away and how to prevent it."

"Naruto, leave it be." The silver haired jonin chastised. "You are speaking above your station."

"Relax Shinobi-san." Shijimi waved off the older ninja, keeping her attention on the boy before her. "I would like to hear what he has to say."

Kakashi nodded, though shot a glare at the young blonde that did not go unnoticed by the blonde hanyou.

"Now, you were saying you know how to keep my precious baby from running away all the time?" The woman asked, all the while snuggling the cat further.

"With all due respect, I believe part of the problem is you, Shijimi-dono." Naruto replied rather bluntly, earning a gasp from his team and sensei. Even Sasuke wasn't immune to the shock of his blonde team mate speaking so bluntly to the wife of the Fire Daimyo.

"Naruto!" The masked jonin exclaimed, though was stopped as the woman held up her free hand.

"Continue." She stated, not sounding the least bit upset. Rather, she sounded more amused then anything else.

"You see, cats as a species hate to be confined or feel trapped." The blonde continued, ignoring the glare Kakashi kept sending his way. "While I see that you do love her greatly, your love and affection make her feel trapped and thus, the reason why she runs away all the time."

"If I may?" Naruto asked, gesturing towards the Tora in the woman's arms. With a nod in confirmation, the blonde approached the woman and began to gently guide her arms so that one arm was supporting the cats weight from underneath, leaving the other hand free to stroke Tora.

The change was almost immediate as Tora had gone from scratching and flailing, to purring in the woman's arms.

"Madam Shijimi, I apologize for Naruto's actions." Kakashi stepped forward and bowed. "I will see to it that he will be properly punished for his disrespectful actions."

"You will do no such thing, Kakashi Hatake." The woman stated with authority and firmness in her voice that wasn't present prior. She then turned to the blonde in front of her. "What is your name, cutie?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, ma'am." The blonde replied, bowing his head as a sign of respect.

"Hokage-dono, give this one a bonus payment." She smiled as she turned to the village leader. "For being the first in ten years to have discovered the hidden objective behind the Tora missions."

"Hidden objective?" Sakura asked, a little confused now that she had managed to shake off the shock.

"You see, there will be times when you as a shinobi will be hired to escort or guard a person of high social standing." She began, looking over the genin in front of her. "During these times, you may witness things your client is doing that you know are not right. In these times, you will need to choose between completing your mission and ignoring what you saw. Or doing what is right."

"Will you stand by while your client rapes a young woman? Will you look the other way as your client pockets money as a bribe? These are scenario's you may very well find yourself in." She finished, as Hiruzen nodded in agreement with a solemn look on his face.

For the first time, Kakashi looked rather ashamed for failing to see the hidden meaning behind the mission. Especially since he had always preached about looking underneath the underneath. He could already feel the disappointment in the eyes of the Hokage on him. Namely for chastising Naruto.

Sakura on the other hand was shocked and a little terrified of eventually encountering one of the scenarios Madam Shijimi had described.

'**Wow! Who would have thought that the Dead Last of our class would be making such an impact already!'** Inner Sakura exclaimed, clearly proud of the young blonde.

'_I know, it's almost as if he was….' _Her thoughts ended as her eyes slightly widened at the realization. _'He's been hiding his true __potential__ all along. But why?'_

'**Maybe we should follow him and find out just what he does. See how he trains, and maybe what his body looks like under that coat.'** Inner suggested with a lecherous grin, causing Sakura to blush slightly before shaking the thoughts away.

'_I agree on seeing how he trains, but I will not give up on Sasuke-kun!'_ The pinkette vehemently defended her love for the raven haired emo, casting her gaze over at the team's resident emo.

For the most part, Sasuke didn't care of any of the scenarios painted out for him. It wasn't his problems what others did.

"Would you like to join me for lunch, young Uzumaki?" Shijimi inquired with a smile as Tora jumped to her shoulders and draped her body across the back of the woman's neck. "And I know just the place."

"Unfortunately," Kakashi interrupted before the blonde could answer. "Naruto has training he needs to do to improve his taijutsu. But Sasuke is free…."

"As I recall, you dismissed your team." Shijimi pointed out with a stern look, forcing the masked jonin to take a step back. "And I would much rather have a private lunch with the young man who was able to discover my missions hidden objective."

"I would be happy to accompany you, Shijimi-dono." Naruto answered, earning another glare from his sensei. Though this time, Kakashi wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Very well, let us be off then." The wife of the Fire Daimyo stated as she lead the blonde out of the office.

* * *

**Ichiraku's**

"To be honest Shijimi-dono, I wasn't expecting that you would want to get some ramen." Naruto stated, a little surprised that a woman of her stature would want to come to such a quaint business. Not that he minded. "Though this is the best ramen in the entire Elemental Nations."

"Please, call me Shijimi, Naruto-kun." The woman smiled. "And you are correct cutie, this is the best ramen in all of the Elemental Nations."

"Welcome to Ichiraku's how may I…." Teuchi greeted before freezing up as he saw who had entered his stand. "Shijimi-dono, it is a pleasure to see you again. And with young Naruto no less."

"I told you before Teuchi, simply call me Shijimi." The woman frowned. "You know I hate such titles."

"My apologies." The old man smiled. "What can I get for you today?"

"We'll take the private room, if you would please."

This earned a curious look from the blonde hanyou. All the times he has eaten at this stand, he had never once heard of any mention of them having a private area for guests. However, he didn't question it as Teuchi led the two into the back, just passed the kitchen area where a lone booth was located. Getting them seated, and taking their orders; which was the usual for Naruto, though he did tone it done in the presence of the Fire Daimyo's wife. Once done, he left the two alone to attend to matters in the front of the shop.

"So, you're Jashin-sama's champion, if I am not mistaken." Shijimi stated, not beating around the bush. She got the reaction she expected from the young blonde. "Your task is not an easy one."

'_I am beginning to think Jashin-chan likes seeing me in th__ese__ awkward situations.'_ He mentally cried, earning a chuckle from the fox girl.

'**Though you did already suspect something when you saw her only silver necklace chain.' **Ahri put in, to which Naruto mentally nodded in agreement.

"I know." He replied simply. "But, I have faith I will accomplish what Jashin-chan has set before me. Though I know it will be a long road with many challenges. Especially since I am limited in my movements due to my genin rank."

"Not to mention you Jinchuriki status." The brunette added. "Fear not, I only know of your status due to my position, and I don't mean as the Fire Daimyo's wife. I am a high priestess for Jashin-sama herself."

"So you convert people then?" He asked, a little curious.

"For the time being, no." She sighed. She missed preaching about her goddess to those that would listen, and convert those that were willing. "My instructions are to lay low until Jashin-sama's champion begins to create waves."

"That may take some time, as we already established my rank and status." Naruto commented.

"We are patient." She smiled. "And once you have created your waves, I will use my position as the Fire Daimyo's wife to influence the Fire Nation at least, to legalize Jashinism. And I have a feeling, you will be making your first big wave here very soon."

'_**She's using the word 'wave' a lot, don't you think?'**_ Ahri asked from the back of his mind.

'_Almost as if she is hinting at something.'_ Naruto mentally replied.

"Well, I hope to make a splash then." He replied with a grin, causing the woman across from him to smile at his pun.

* * *

**An Hour Later**

After an hour of eating together, Naruto and Shijimi had gone their separate ways. Earning a few curious glances from the villagers as to why the wife of the Fire Daimyo would want to associate herself with the demon child, though they knew better then to act out with her present. Wisely keeping their mouths shut.

Naruto had headed off in the opposite direction, heading towards his preferred training grounds to get some late afternoon training in before turning in the for the day. Part of his mind wandered to what his mates where up to. Anko was probably enjoying herself torturing some poor soul. Yugao was no doubt watching over the Hokage's office, as he had sensed her desire to kill Kakashi for his actions towards the blonde. Lastly, Hinata was no doubt at her compound, reading some of the scrolls he had copied for her.

"Oi, dobe!" A voice yelled from behind him, catching the blondes attention. Turning he saw a rather irate Kiba Inuzuka behind him, with an equally upset Akamaru.

"Something I can help you with, Kiba?" He asked in a bored tone. Not sure what got the feral kids underwear in a knot.

"What the hell did you do to my sister!?" The boy exclaimed as he marched up to the where the blonde stood. "She hasn't shut up about you for an entire week!"

Naruto had to adopt a thinking pose to remember just what incident Kiba could be referring to. Not that he mingled with many woman outside of his mates. A light seem to switch on, as he remembered what it could be that got his former class mate upset.

"Ah, that's right." Naruto snapped his fingers in remembrance. "You're Hana-san's little brother."

Kiba only clenched his fists in response.

"Tell you the truth, a week ago we got a mission to help take inventory and restock her vet when the shipments arrived. Hana-san had gone out for something, and the next thing I know she returns hysterical with one of her ninken in her arms."

"I was free at the moment and lent a hand where I could. Turns out, her ninken got bitten by a snake, and they couldn't figure out what anti-venom to give him, since she didn't see the snake to identify it."

"Fortunately, I was able to identify it by scent and we were able to give her ninken the correct anti-venom. After that, Hana-san and I just talked to calm her down." Naruto finished with a shrug. "That's all that happened."

"I swear to Kami, loser." Kiba balled up his fist, trying to intimidate the young hanyou, and failing. "You better stay away from my sister, or else."

"First off dog breath, Hana-san is old enough to make her own choices on who she wants to be around." Naruto stated, earning a glare from the boy. "Secondly, you already know I am with Anko-chan and that both her and I absolutely despise those who are disloyal. Anyways, I am off to train."

Not giving the feral boy time to respond, Naruto jumped off onto the roofs and made his way towards the Forest of Death. Unfortunately for the Inuzuka boy, he failed to notice his big sister behind him looking rather upset.

* * *

**With Naruto**

'_**You seem to have gotten someones interest.'**_ Ahri commented as she sensed a familiar chakra signature following them.

'_Let her follow, maybe it may kick her in the ass to take her training up a notch.'_ The blonde mentally replied.

After about fifteen minutes of hoping along the roof tops of the village, the blonde hanyou and his not so hidden follower arrived at the edge of the Forest of Death. Not wasting any more time, Naruto began jumping through the trees, opting to take a less hazardous route due to the one following him. His would be stalker hesitated for a moment before taking off after him. Keeping her distance to avoid being detected, but at the same time not losing sight of where he was going. Little did she know that he already knew she was there.

It didn't take long before Naruto arrived at the center of his favorite training ground. Knowing he only had a handful of minutes at most before his follower would arrive, he quickly set to work creating a couple hundred of clones and set them to train in an assortment of things. From tree walking to sparing on the lakes surface. About a dozen more were practicing his shadow and darkness manipulation, while the last couple hundred were focusing on throwing kunai and shurikans.

Seeing his clones in position, Naruto quickly melded into the shadows and awaited his follower.

* * *

**With Sakura**

The pinkette bounded through the trees she had saw her blonde team mate leap through. A short distance in front of her, she could hear the sounds of grunting and weapons colliding. In the back of her mind, she was a little concerned for the blonde, not that she would admit it out loud. Increasing her pace, she quickly bound through the trees until she could see the clearing. Letting out a gasp in surprise, he hid herself behind the tree she was on, which was a few lines back from the training ground where a small army of Naruto's were training.

'_How can he create so many?'_ Sakura asked herself mentally.

'_**Imagine him using that in the bedroom.'**_ Inner pevertedly commented with a snicker.

Sakura immediately blushed at the implications and formed a small nosebleed before shaking such thoughts from her head.

'_Damn it Inner, we're here to see how he trains!'_ The pinkette mentally ranted. _'I love Sasuke-kun! Not this blonde twerp! Sasuke-kun probably trains a lot harder and has more muscles…."_

Her thoughts were derailed as a few of the clones had removed their jackets and shirts. Exposing just how muscular the blonde really was. If she was being honest with herself, the pinkette would have to admit that Naruto was well more defined then Sasuke was. However, if she were honest with herself, she wouldn't have her inner self pointing out the obvious comparison between the two.

'_**You were saying?'**_ Inner chuckled to herself. _**'Just imagine, feeling up those rock hard abs of his.'**_

Another mental image assaulted the poor girls mind, causing her to blush up a storm that would have put Hinata to shame during her earlier days.

'_No! Sasuke-kun and I are meant to be together!' _Sakura mentally screamed. '_Why are you pushing so hard for Naruto now? You love Sasuke-kun too!'_

'_**No, you forced me to love Sasuke because he was the only one you would ever look at.' **_Inner pointed out. _**'Now that you actually have to pay attention to other boys, I actually have others to compare the Uchiha to.'**_

'_I don't….'_

'_**Compare the two boys in our life right now.'**_ her inner self stated. _**'Sasuke barely talks to **__**us**__**, always calls **__**us**__** a loser and weak, and barely acknowledges **__**us**__**. Where as Naruto-**__**kun**__** has been civil towards us, and has even given us tips to improve ourselves.'**_

So caught up in her inner dialogue, that Sakura didn't notice a large shadow looming over her until the last second when a gurgled sound alerted her that something was behind her. Turing, she saw Naruto with his black blade thrust into the throat of a horse sized tiger like beast, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"You know there is a reason they call this place the Forest of Death, right?" Naruto asked, as he allowed the body of the beast to fall out of the tree. "You know, if you wanted to see me train, all you had to do was ask instead of following me. Kind of makes you look like a stalker, you know."

Sakura was dumbfounded, while her inner self was laughing her ass off inside her mind. Naruto had known she was here. He had know that she had followed him.

"How did you….?"

"Know?" Naruto finished for her as he turned to fully face her. Unfortunately for the pinkette, he did not have his trench coat on, allowing her to see his defined muscles up close. "I felt your chakra after I left Ichiraku's."

Sakura could only look on in shock. He didn't just sense her here, he knew the entire time but still allowed her to think she was undetected. However, she was broken out of her thoughts when he felt him wrap his arms around her. Eyes widened, she looked up, blushing slightly as she could feel just how toned his muscles were.

"Don't get the wrong idea Sakura-san." He replied as they both sank into the shadows, only to arrive in the training ground before he let her go. "It's merely more comfortable to talk down here."

Moving a short distance away from her, he watched over his clones that were sparing. Seeing if there were any holes in his techniques from an outside perspective. Pleased that he couldn't see any. It appeared that Anko's Hebi style and Ahri's Kitsune style worked flawlessly together. Helping to cover any openings the other may have.

"How can you make so many clones? And how come they look solid?" Sakura finally asked, shaking off the experience she just felt from her first time traveling through the shadows. Which was something she was still a little confused about. With darkness, she expected it to feel cold and foreboding. Not warm and inviting that she experienced.

"Well, I have an insanely large chakra reserve." The blonde answers. "As for the second question, they are not just clones, but solid shadow clones. You see, because of my large chakra reserve, it made doing normal clones impossible. So Anko-chan taught me the Kage Bushin no Jutsu."

"But what's the purpose of having them train?" She asked as she gazed at all the clones doing various training exercises. "It's not like their memory can just transfer to you."

Naruto only quirked an eye brow at this with a grin, causing Sakura's mouth to drop open.

"They can?"

"That's the secret behind the Kage Bushin no Jutsu." The blonde grinned. "When it comes to things like chakra control, jutsu's, and even learning from scrolls and books all memories are passed to me once they dispel. The draw back, is you can't dispel more then a handful at a time otherwise you run the risk of overloading your brain, which could result in death. Main reason why this is a forbidden jutsu to use."

"Then how come you are using it if it's forbidden?"

"I have permission from the Hokage to use it, due to my situation with normal clones." Naruto replied, before he chuckled a little, getting the pinkette's attention. "I've used the clones to speed up my practical training. Only thing they can't do is help with conditioning the body, though they do transfer muscle memory. Which is why I am having some throw shurikans and kunais at moving targets."

He gestured towards a batch of clones that were flinging said weapons at a swinging target from one of the branches. Though what caught Sakura's attention were the clones running up and down the side of the tree.

"What are they doing?" She asked, pointing towards the clones that had got her attention.

"Tree walking." He answered before looking to her, to see her awe struck face. "You don't know how to do it?"

Sakura could only shake her head. Sure, she had taken her training more seriously then before, but she hadn't seen anyone use this ability before.

"Come, I'll teach you." He gestured towards a near by tree.

Unsure of what to do, Sakura hesitated a moment before following her blonde team mate. All the while her inner self was taunting her that her precious Sasuke wouldn't even take the time to give her a decent answer, let alone help her train.

"Okay, first off you need to apply chakra to your feet so that you can stick to the tree." He began his explanation. "Now too much, and you will push yourself away from the tree. Too little, and you won't stick. Understand?"

Sakura nodded her head, and placed her foot on the tree trunk, Sliding it up and down until she found a perfect mixture of chakra that allowed her foot to be stuck in place. Taking a deep breath, she placed her other foot on the tree and slowly began to walk up the tree. Slowly, she made her way up the tree trunk, with each step her confidence growing. Perhaps a bit too much as she lost concentration and began to slide down the tree. In a moment of panic, she applied to much chakra, and repelled her from the tree all together.

The next thing she knew, she was in the arms of Naruto, with a severe blush on her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he set her back down on the ground.

The pinkette could only nod, not trusting her own voice right now to betray the thoughts racing through her mind.

"You did good for your first try. A lot better then I did." Naruto stated. "Keep at it, once you master this I will teach you water walking."

Once again, Sakura nodded and approached the tree.

"Don't worry. I will be here to catch you." He reassured her.

Earning another nod, the pinkette set off up the tree once more.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

Sakura was tired and sweaty. Far more then she had ever been in any of her prior training sessions, and to her surprise. She enjoyed it. Her blonde team mate had taken the time to teach her the tree walking exercise, and true to his word, he stayed there to catch her every time she fell. Which thankfully was only a handful more times before she fully got the hang of it.

Aside from the tree walking, Naruto had even taught her how to use the Kage Bushin no Jutsu, though he stressed that she would only be able to make one or two clones at a time due to her smaller chakra reserves. Under his guidance, she created one shadow clone to continue the tree walking exercise, while she started on the water walking. Which she got down much faster then the tree walking exercise. Mostly due to the motivation as to not get wet since she had no spare clothing with her.

Though looking back over the past few hours, Sakura was beside herself. She had learned more training with Naruto for a few hours then she had in a month under Kakashi. Though the latter was no surprise as the lazy jonin had hardly ever taught them anything. Earning the masked jonin the nickname Taida-sensei between her and Naruto.

"You did good today Sakura-san. If you ever want to train, just ask." Naruto stated as he handed her a water bottle as a series of poofs were heard as one by one each clone began to dispel at a slow rate. "We should head back, you really don't want to be in this forest at night time."

"Naruto." She started, looking down at the ground. "Why did you help me? After I have been mean and even abusive towards you."

"It's in the past, and you really can't live in the past if you want to enjoy the future." He shrugged. "As of right now, you are a team mate that needed help."

With that, Naruto collected his trench coat and put it in before making his way to the edge of the training ground. Leaving the pinkette alone to digest his words. Despite herself, Sakura felt a little disappointed for two things. One he was putting his jacket back on, and two, he wasn't going to use the technique he used earlier to transport them. Instead opting to travel through the forest once more. With a sigh, she followed after him.

Once they left the forest, both parted to go to their respective homes.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Naruto stirred awake, as the rays of sunshine hit his face. A good half hour before his alarm was set to go off. Groaning in protest he kicked the blankets off and made his way to his bathroom for his morning shower.

'**_You were right Naru-kun.' _**Ahri said. **_'Sakura seeing you train really pushed her to kick up her own training.'_**

'_Which I am glad for.'_ He replied. _'__Though she seems to have a lot of inner conflict.'_

'**_What do you mean?'_** The fox girl asked, with a slight frown.

'_You can see it in her eyes, almost as if someone is talking to her like we do.'_ The blonde pointed out as he finished his shower and began drying off. _'However, I don't feel it's anything dangerous. So I won't worry about it.'_

Finishing up, he quickly dressed and grabbed a few rice cakes before leaving his apartment to meet his team at the usual training ground. Wondering if his sensei would have anything to say about what happened yesterday afternoon. There wasn't any doubt in the hanyous mind that the masked jonin was trying to position his precious Uchiha to rub elbows with those of higher status.

Shaking the thoughts from his head as he arrived at Training Ground 7, to find Sakura already there sitting back against one of the posts.

"Morning, Sakura-san." He greeted, only getting a grunt in reply due to how sore she still was from all the training she did the previous day. "Sleep well?"

"I was out like a rock as soon as my head hit my pillow." She responded. "How often do you train like that?"

"Every day if I can." He replied with a shrug, as Sakura looked at him in shock.

"Every day?" She questioned.

"Yup, sometimes I even spar with Anko-chan who is also of jonin rank." He grinned. "And she doesn't hold back. Lost count how many times I got bitten by one of her snakes."

"Like a woman would make a good sparing partner." The Uchiha sneered as he walked onto the training ground, earning a glare from Naruto. "I bet the only thing that whore is good for is to spread…."

Sasuke couldn't finish his sentence as a powerful killing intent flooded the training field, erupting from the young blonde who had a look of barely restrained fury in his eyes, causing the raven haired emo to drop to his knees. Surprisingly, Sakura was unaffected by it as Naruto was focusing it all on the Uchiha.

"I would not finish that sentence if I were you, Uchiha." Naruto stated in a low, cold voice. One that promised unimaginable pain if not heeded.

Either due to shock, or due to still recovering from the killing intent that the blonde had unleashed, Sasuke remained silent for the next few hours until their sensei arrived.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted as he appeared in a puff of smoke on top of one of the training posts. Half expecting to get yelled at for being late. Instead he was met with silence.

Sasuke was brooding against one of the remaining posts, while Sakura was reading a scroll of some kind that the masked jonin couldn't identify though it looked like basic fuinjutsu, though he shrugged it off. On the other side was Naruto, reading a book.

"Morning my cute little genin." He eye smiled, this time actually getting their attention.

"Late as always Taida-sensei." Naruto commented, earning a frown from the silver haired sensei. Though he didn't miss Sakura attempting to hide a giggle.

"You should have declined the Fire Daimyo's wife yesterday, Naruto." Kakashi stated in disappointed. "I can only imagine how you made a fool of yourself in front of her in private."

"Then you must have a really good imagination. Maybe you should write a book, Taida-sensei." Naruto quipped without missing a beat. "And as a matter of fact, we simply had a nice lunch at Ichiraku's, her choice before you accuse me of anything."

"What did you two talk about?" Sakura asked, genuinely curious. Though Naruto could see that Kakashi wanted to know as well.

"Religion mostly, and our thoughts on faith in general." The blonde replied honestly. "Turns out, Shijimi-dono and I share very similar views on the subject."

Kakashi only shook his head and decided to drop it all together.

"Anyways, let's report to the Hokage's Tower to get some more missions." He stated, earning a duo of groans from both Sakura and Sasuke.

* * *

**Hokage Tower**

"Absolutely not! No more chore missions, I am an Uchiha Elite, not some common peasant to do chores!" Ranted the raven haired emo to the Hokage. "I demand a mission worthy of an Uchiha!"

'**_So when is Taida-teme going to lecture the Uchiha brat about talking above his station?'_** Questioned Ahri from the back of Naruto's mind as he watched the scene unfold. Unaware that the Hokage had similar thoughts.

'_Probably when he gives up that smut he reads.'_ Naruto mentally commented.

'**_Ah, so never.'_** The fox girl replied dryly.

'_Pretty much.'_

"Genin Uchiha!" Hiruzen had enough of the boys ranting, and for the second time this morning, the last Uchiha was feeling the effects of killing intent being focused upon him. "You dare command your Hokage!?"

Sasuke could say nothing as he broke out into a cold sweat.

"You will do missions as I command!" Hiruzen continued. "You are lucky that I don't assign you six months of D-rank missions for your disrespectful outburst!"

"With all due respect Ji-ji, we could use a harder mission." Naruto decided to speak up after the old man had reigned in his killing intent and sat back down behind his desk. Though his affectionate nick name of the village leader caused Kakashi to glare at the boy once more.

"Do you think your team is ready for their first C-Rank, Kakashi?" The hokage inquired, turning his attention towards the masked jonin.

"Yes, I believe they are. Hokage-sama." The silver haired jonin replied, keeping his answer simple.

Hiruzen was silent as he looked over the team of genin before him. Without a doubt, he knew the boy he considered his surrogate grandson would be able to handle it from what he displayed against Mizuki. His eyes then cast over the lone girl on the team, Sakura. His first impression of her was that she would probably die on her first mission outside the village. However, it seems she has started taking her training seriously lately, which pleased the village leader.

Then there was the last genin on the team, Sasuke. The boy was arrogant and over confident in his abilities. Though he suppose he had the civilian council to thank for that as they had inflated the boys ego to astronomical proportions. Though the boy did have skill, he had to admit that.

Without saying another word, the old man pressed a button on his desk to open the intercom to the reception area.

"Send in the client." Hiruzen ordered.

After a few moments, the door opened revealing an old man with glasses, and gray hair. The most noticeable thing was that he smelt of cheap sake, causing the three genin to cover their nose from the stench.

"So this is what I paid for?" The old man grunted as he took a swig from his sake bottle. "A bunch of kids and a disabled man?"

"I assure you Tazuna, these shinobi are well trained and will complete your mission." The hokage stated, whilst Kakashi held back Sasuke and Sakura from wanting to pound the elder man for insulting them.

"At least the blonde looks capable." The old man stated, much to the ire of Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Very well, Team 7." The Hokage said, catching the attention of the team before him. "At 8 in the morning, you are to meet Tazuna-san at the main gate and escort him to Nami no Kuni and guard him while he finishes his bridge. Kakashi, don't be late."

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Team 7, minus Naruto exclaimed, as his mind was currently preoccupied with something.

'_Why do I get the feeling that Shijimi-dono knew this was coming?'_ He mentally asked no one in particular.

'_**Maybe it was her constant use of the word 'wave' over lunch?'**_ Ahri snickered.

'_Well, better make a big splash then.'_ He grinned as he walked out of the office with the rest of his team to get ready for the long term mission. Knowing he had to say his good byes to his mates before he left. Also, he wanted to talk to Yugao about what he had decided.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

Naruto held his purple haired beauty close to him as the two relaxed in the same tree they were in the night Mizuki had attempted to steal the Forbidden Scroll. Neither spoke for the time being, as they just enjoyed on another's company. Yugao already knew that he would be leaving the village for up to a month while on his first C-Rank mission, and if she was completely honest with herself, she was partially concerned for her mate.

Despite knowing that he could very well take care of himself. Even so, as strong as he was, he was still growing and learning his powers. Seemly sensing her concern, Naruto tightened his old on her and kissed the back of her neck to comfort her.

"So you're going to go through with it?" She asked, craning her neck to look at him.

"Once I get back from this mission, I am going to talk to Ji-ji about my heritage." He smiled as he helped her turn fully so that she could comfortably face him.

"I told you that I didn't mind." She smiled, though he could see it in her eyes that she was feeling the same as him.

"But I do." Naruto smiled as he leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "I'm tired of hiding you. I want to come up behind you and hold you close to let everyone know that your mine."

Yugao blushed at his comment, but smiled all the same.

"That is why I am going to put my self into the Clan Restoration Act, and on my terms." He smirked. "Because you know once the Civilian Council learns of my heritage, they will try and force anyone they want on me."

This caused Yugao to scowl slightly. She didn't mind sharing Naruto with others who truly loved him. But the thought of him being forced to marry a bunch of gold digging sluts just because of his clan status upset her greatly.

"And my terms are that I chose my would be wives, and my hime's must approve of them." He whispered as he leaned in and kissed her once more.

"I understand." She replied before a mischievous grin appeared on her face. "Just so you know, once it's official, I am dry humping you in front of Hayate-teme so he gets the message loud and clear."

"I must say, I will be looking forward to that." The blonde laughed, imagining the scene play out. "Come, we should head home. I have to head out early tomorrow."

Nodding, Yugao stood up and embraced her lover as they melted into the shadows together to return to their homes for the night.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes: And done!**

So, laid some of the ground work for Sakura to start noticing Naruto in a more positive light with her Inner always seeing the truth before she does. She also got a little bit more of an insight on how her precious Sasuke views women.

Also, Tsunami being a Jashinist with a hidden shrine her basement was **CrimsonStarBlade's** idea, which I thought would be a really nice twist, so hope everyone enjoyed that.

As always, leave your thoughts, reviews, and harem suggestions in the reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** Alright, now things are really going to start moving.

Now with this chapter, I am going to focus on some of the other characters that are remaining in Konoha while Naruto is out. Mainly Anko, Kurenai, and Yugao. May sneak in some Hana moments as well to see what got Kiba so riled up in the last chapter.

Enjoy!

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Ayame, Tsume, Temari, Mikoto, Rin, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Karin, Kurotsuchi, Pakura, Fem!Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Yugito, Tenten, Tayuya, Kin, Ameyuri, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, Mei, Tsunami, Tsunade, Shizune, Shizuka, Natsuhi, Hokuto, Konan, Ryuzetsu, Yukata, Yakumo, and Fem!Kyuubi

And I believe this may be the final list, as it pretty much has every major female character. I will not be gender bending any other characters, sorry for those that wanted Fem!Deidara and such. One Ino is enough, don't need Ino with mouths on her hands. That being said, if you have any ideas how Naruto should many any of his harem girls, feel free to let me know!

Now for clarifications, Sakura herself, is still obsessed with Sasuke for the time being. It's only her Inner Self that is noticing Naruto in a good light, and at times her own body does betray her. I will say, by the end of the Wave mission, her opinion and views of the Last Uchiha will drastically shift.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's/Inner Sakura**

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 7

**Konoha Main Gate, 7:50AM**

Sakura had imagined multiple scenarios for her first mission outside of the village as she and the rest of Team 7, minus Naruto, approached the main gates with Tazuna in tow. Experiencing life outside of the village. Meeting new and interesting people. Romantic time alone with her Sasuke-kun, and maybe even sharing a kiss with her obsession.

What she wasn't expecting was to come across her blonde team mate being pinned against the wooden post of the main gate, with his mouth being assaulted by a woman with purple hair and a fanned pony tail. Dressed in a tan trench coat and a full body mesh outfit, that miraculously covered her lady bits. The entire scene made her blush at the intimacy the two were showing.

"Anko, what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked in an annoyed tone.

'_That's Anko?'_ Sakura mentally asked in shock, as she looked over the woman who had now broken her kiss from the blonde and was glaring at Kakashi.

'_**She looks hot!'**_ Inner stated as her outer self looked over the woman. _**'I don't know who I should be more jealous of. Naruto-kun for kissing her, or her for kissing Naruto-kun!?'**_

'_Damn it Inner, we're straight and we love Sasuke-kun!'_ The cherry blossom ranted in her mind. 'I don't care what you think!'

'_**If we're straight, then why were you curious about kissing Ino?'**_ Inner smirked as she brought up long forgotten memories from before she had ruined her friendship with the blonde girl.

Sakura could only blush at the memory. While she claimed her first kiss would belong to Sasuke, in reality she had already had her first kiss with her best friend at the time nearly four years ago. It was a spur of the moment thing that both girls had tried and had left both of them confused. For her part, Sakura didn't hate it and as such, didn't know what to do afterwards.

"I am here to see my mate off." Anko grinned as she held Naruto close to her body, allowing him to feel her assets as she pressed her chest into his, causing the teen boy to smirk at her antics. "After all, he is going to be gone for so long."

Naruto could only snicker as his Hebi-hime fake pouted.

"Your mate?" Kakashi inquired, confused with her wording.

"It's exactly as it sounds Taida-sensei." Naruto smirked, earning a glare from the masked jonin. He was really starting to hate that nickname the blonde had labeled him with.

"You really need to up your standards, Anko." The silver haired man stated, with a tone of disappointment.

"Let me guess, you would prefer if I were with duck ass over there?" Anko scoffed as she gestured towards where Sasuke was.

"Pfft, like I would want some weak whore." The emo grunted before he felt a sting on his left cheek.

Before anyone could react, Anko had skillfully thrown a kunai at high speed, just grazing the raven haired boys cheek, drawing a line of blood before she disappeared and appeared behind Sasuke with a second kunai to his neck, a sadistic smile on her face before she leaned in.

"You ought to show more respect to those around you." She whispered. Normally, she would lick the blood to induce more fear, but felt the Uchiha's blood may be as spoiled as him and get her sick. "As it is, I already see over a dozen different ways to kill you right here. All of them extremely painful."

Despite himself, Sasuke shivered in fear of the woman's words.

"Do not threaten my student, Anko." Kakashi glared at the snake mistress as he approached to defend his prized student.

"Oh that's right, this one here is your special one, isn't he." The purple haired woman mocked, though stepped away none the less. Moving back over to where Naruto was, embracing him once more. "Tell me, have you two flipped sticks yet? Whose the top and whose the bottom?"

Naruto couldn't hold it in as he burst out laughing at his mates implications of both Sasuke and Kakashi. Sakura seemed to have caught on as well, and formed a severe blush as her inner self ran wild with mental images of the cyclops and the emo in compromising positions. This of course prevented her from defending her love.

As both Kakashi and Sasuke bristled at the comments, Anko turned around and faced Naruto once more, bringing him in close.

"Jashin-sama watch over you." She whispered into his ear.

"And may she watch over you as well, Hebi-hime." He replied in a whisper as well, before kissing her deeply once more. Breaking it off and separating from her, gazing into her eyes one last time before the snake mistress used her Shunshin to head to meet up with her friends at the local dango stand.

'_**That's so romantic.'**_ Inner Sakura gushed as she watched the scene play out between Naruto and Anko.

'_How is that romantic?'_ Sakura mentally inquired. _'All she did was dry hump Naruto and accus__e__ Sasuke-kun of being gay!'_

'_**Girl, you need to open your eyes.'**_ Inner groaned at her outer self's ignorance. Why did she have to get stuck being the dormant personality? _**'Look at the way they look at each other. There is nothing but love in those eyes. Go ahead and tell me you don't want someone, anyone to look at you the same way! **__**Even Naruto-kun!**__**'**_

The pinkette couldn't reply to her inner self. Because she was right, she would love it if someone were to look at her the same way she saw Naruto and Anko look at each other. It kind of made her jealous the more she thought of how perfect of a relationship the two seemed to have. While all she got was insults and rejection of her object of desire. A wave of sadness washed over her, causing her to frown. For the first time in four years, she was doubting her feelings over the raven haired boy.

"Well, guess we should be off then." Naruto stated, snapping Sakura out of her train of thoughts.

"Naruto," Kakashi began, "Where is your travel pack?"

"I got everything I need right here." The blonde replied, opening his trench coat, exposing a few scrolls secured in their slots.

Kakashi only frowned as he saw the scrolls. Sealing items into scrolls was a level three fuinjutsu ability. There was no way that the blonde had the patience or intelligence to learn such advanced techniques.

"I told you about lying, Naruto." The jonin sighed as he produced a spare back pack and tossed it to Naruto. Only for the blonde to toss it right back.

"I told you, I have everything I need." The teen replied before turning on his heel and began walking out the gate.

Meanwhile, Tazuna was beginning to wonder if he should request a different team. The bridge builder didn't need to be sober to see there was a rift in the team due to the favoritism the man had witnessed. With a sigh, he took another swig from his sake bottom and followed after the blonde teen as the rest of Team 7 trailed behind.

'_This is going to be a long mission.'_ Kakashi thought to himself with a silent sigh as he took out his favorite orange book and began reading, letting out a few perverted giggles.

* * *

**With Anko**

It hadn't even been half an hour, and already the snake mistress was missing her mate something fierce. Letting out a sigh, she entered the dango stand to see Yugao and Kurenai waiting for her. She could only imagine how her future sister wife felt, since she couldn't be openly affectionate with their mate. Walking by the purple haired ANBU, Anko gave her a comforting rub on the back before taking her seat on the other side of Kurenai, whom didn't look to be in such a good mood.

"What's got you down?" The red eyed beauty asked, not used to seeing her usual loud and boisterous friend be so quiet and subdued.

"It's the first time he will be away from her for so long." Yugao supplied, earning a curious look from the genjutsu mistress.

Kurenai recalled that Anko was seeing someone, however she couldn't recall who she was seeing. Of course at the time she was wrapped up in her own relationship that she thought was perfect. Until recently, that is.

"Him?" Kurenai asked.

"Her mate, lover, fiance. What ever you want to call him." Yugao chuckled at her friends cluelessness.

"I know that!" The red eyed woman snapped. "Who is he? What's is name?"

"Naruto." Anko smiled, as she gazed into nothingness, causing Yugao to chuckle a little.

"Wait! Naruto?" Kurenai exclaimed. "As in Genin Naruto Uzumaki?"

"The one and only." The snake mistress giggled.

"Isn't he a little too young for you?"

"I am only six years older then him." Anko replied. "Besides, the moment he put on his forehead protector, he became an adult in the eyes of the village."

Kurenai could only shake her head in response at the sudden dump of information on her. However, this caused her to frown slightly as she recalled what had happened a few days ago between Kiba and Hinata.

"Something wrong?" Yugao asked, noticing the genjutsu mistresses's expression.

"No, I could have sworn that Hinata was dating Naruto." She answered honestly.

"Why did you think that?" Anko asked. "It wasn't like Naruto and I really hid that we were together. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't know."

"Well, a few days ago there was an incident between Kiba and Hinata during one of our team meetings." Kurenai sighed as she remembered the events. "I swear, that Inuzuka boy doesn't understand the word no."

"Anyways, Kiba continued to insist that Hinata date him, going on about him being an alpha. Finally she had enough and laid the boy out on the ground and told him that she only had eyes for Naruto."

Both Yugao and Anko couldn't help but snicker as the imagined the 'Dark Princess', as Hinata had been dubbed by them, laying out the poor boy. Mainly because the boy had rubbed them both the wrong way with his constant bragging of being an alpha and that all girls or women should feel honored to be with him. Hell, just slap the Uchiha name on him and he would fit in perfectly with their arrogance.

"Well, they are close." Anko cryptically replied. Though she didn't miss Yugao stifling a giggle that threatened to come out, though skillfully covered it with a cough. "A lot of the times she will go over to his apartment or mine, depending on where he is to hang out."

"And you're not worried about that?" Kurenai frowned, looking to Anko whom only shook her head.

"Nope. There are no secrets between Naruto-kun and I." She smiled again.

"Well ladies, I have to report for my shift in the Hokage's office." The purple haired ANBU stated as she got up from her seat. "I'll catch you girls later."

With that, Yugao shunshined to the Hokage's office, leaving the two friends to talk.

"Alright Nai-chan, spill it." Anko stated, catching her friend off guard. "What's bothering you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've never been this interested in other peoples relationships before." The snake mistress pointed out. "Also, you're being suspicious of Hinata and Naruto hanging out together, after you learned that he and I are dating."

The red eyed beauty sighed in defeat. Knowing that Anko wasn't going to let this go.

"It's that bastard Asuma." She gritted out.

"What did he do this time?"

"Bastard's been cheating on me for pretty much the entire time we were together." Kurenai hissed. Her blood beginning to boil at the betrayal. "Hell, I don't even know if _'she's'_ the other girl or if I am."

Anko could only growl at this. Being one to take loyalty very seriously, especially since she had been abandoned by that snake bastard all those years ago. Glancing over, she could see her friend was even more upset then she was, and for very good reason.

"When I confronted him about it, he had to audacity to tell me it was because he was tired of waiting for me!" The genjutsu mistress continued. "No shame, no remorse. Just flat out told me that because I wouldn't spread my legs for him when he wanted, he was getting it from someone else."

"Please tell me you put him under some sort of genjutsu for that shit."

Kurenai shook her head in response. "It wouldn't have helped and would have only made things worse for me. What with him being the son of the Hokage and all."

"So he pulls that bullshit, huh?" Anko asked, clearly disgusted. "Hides behinds daddy's title?"

The red eyed mistress nodded once more.

"I don't know Anko." Kurenai sighed, putting her head down on the counter. "Maybe if I would have just…."

"No!" The snake mistress hissed. "Stop that line of thinking right there! If that bastard couldn't wait for you to be ready, then he never loved you to begin with!"

The black haired woman looked up at her friend, whose eyes were full of fury currently.

"Trust me Nai-chan." Anko continued. "Something as precious as that, you want to give it to someone who will love you back and respect your wishes. Not guilt you into having sex just to satisfy their own selfish desires."

"Anko?" Kurenai asked, not use to seeing the snake mistress impart this kind of advice. In the past her friend would just wave off such topics and tell people to do what had them happy. "You're talking from experience, aren't you."

Anko could only blush in response as memories of her and Naruto's first time flooded her mind.

"Oh my Kami!" The red eyed mistress blushed at the implications. "You already did it with Naruto?"

"Yeah." Anko chuckled while scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "For the record, he was the one who wanted to wait until he graduated. Mostly to avoid legal ramifications. I was the one who wanted to jump his bones after he hit puberty."

Kurenai could only look on, dumbfounded by her friend.

"But I don't regret waiting." The snake mistress smiled. "I love him that much. And I will say, it was well worth the wait. When we finally did it, he was caring and sensitive. Making sure that I was comfortable and that we moved at my pace."

The genjutsu mistress couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her friend. To have found someone, even if he was a little young in her eyes, that was that considerate for his partner. Something she wished she would find in someone someday.

"Careful Anko." Kurenai smirked playfully. "Keep bragging about him like that and I may have to seduce him myself."

"Only if I can join in." Anko quipped back without missing a beat.

The red eyed beauty only blushed in response as her more perverted imagination began running wild, flooding her mind with steamy images of both her and Anko pleasuring the young teen. Some of which were quite vivid.

* * *

**Team 7. Three Days Later**

It had been three days since Team 7 and Tazuna had departed Konoha. For the most part, things were quiet and calm between them with Sakura striking up a conversation with the old bridge builder about how life in Nami no Kuni was. Of course, this was only after she had tried, and failed multiple times to get Sasuke to talk to her.

As expected, Kakashi still had his nose in his favorite orange book as he followed behind his team. Letting out a perverted giggle every once and awhile when a scene would strike his fancy. It was a mystery to the team how he had not yet finished the book, with the amount of time he had his nose in it.

Meanwhile, Naruto was jotting down something in a small notebook he had while he walked in the middle of the group. With Sasuke, Sakura, and the old bridge building just ahead of him, whilst Kakashi brought up the rear.

'_So the hero finally finds the demon queen and….'_ Naruto thought over how to continue his book series he had been writing.

'_**Finds that the demon queen doesn't want to fight and wants to end the war between demons and humans.'**_ Ahri chimed in with a slight blush. It didn't go unnoticed to the kitsune girl that the parallels between the hero and the demon queen of his story mirrored their own experiences. Though with some creative liberty.

'_I like that idea Ahri-chan.'_ The hanyou mentally replied before scribbling done some notes.

What many didn't know, aside from his girls, was that Naruto was an accomplished author with his own book series titled Demon Heart that were best sellers, even out selling the Icha Icha Paradise novels in many stores. Now, he didn't use his real name as he knew no publisher in Konoha would publish his stories if they knew it was the 'demon brat' that had penned these tales. No, he used the alias of N.U. Kitsune.

The plot of the books was very close to home for the young hanyou, with some minor changes. For one, he had the setting set in a fantasy style world filled with mythical creatures, as well as knights, kings and queens. Far removed from the shinobi world he lived in. Secondly, he divided the world into two sides. One of darkness and one of light, but gave both sides something the other wanted. The 'Light World', as he called it, had fertile soil, bountiful crops, and livestock. Where as the 'Dark World' had precious metals, gems, and stones. Both had something the other wanted and needed, which lead to the constant conflicts between the human race of Light World and the demons of Dark World.

As Ahri had expected, he modeled the main hero after himself, giving him a tragic back story and everything and modeled the demon queen after Ahri herself, with a dashing of Anko as well, giving her a similar back story. Two tormented souls that would connect to heal each other, and maybe even the world.

His chakra rippled, breaking him from his thoughts and prompting him to put his notebook away and look to the road. Noticing two decent sized water puddles he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

'_It hasn't rained recently, right?'_

'_**Not in over two weeks.'**_

Naruto looked to those in front of him. To his surprise, he could see Sakura had gone quiet, eyeing the puddles as well, before turning her head to look at him. Giving her a nod that he also suspected a trap of some kind, he turned his attention to the Uchiha, whom wasn't even paying attention and had his eyes on his feet.

Naruto didn't need to look back to see if Kakashi assumed anything. He had hoped that the masked jonin would have sensed something as simple as the genjutsu before them. Sighing, he figured the only thing left to do was spring the trap and see who they were after. Though Naruto already had his suspicions, eyeing the bridge builder.

The group was a little past ten feet when the ambush happened. Two masked figures jumped out of the puddles and wrapped a chain around Kakashi before he could react and tore him to pieces, prompting Sakura to scream in horror at seeing her sensei get killed. Despite himself, Sasuke froze upon seeing Kakashi die, before he produced a shurikan and kunai. Throwing them both and lodging the chain the two assassin's used into a tree, forcing the two to disconnect themselves from it.

Not wasting time exchanging words, the two would be assassin's launched their attack. With one launching himself at Naruto, who stood ready with a black sword like weapon in his hand. The blonde hanyou effortlessly blocked the attack, before looking to see where the other attacker was, only to see him leaping over the Uchiha, kicking the emo in the back, before Sasuke could react and sending him to the ground, before the attacker launched himself at Sakura and the bridge builder.

'_Damn worthless Uchiha!'_ Naruto cursed to himself, pissed by the fact that Sasuke was taken out so easily.

Parrying the strike away, Naruto used the dark blade to slash deeply into the side of his attacker before bringing the pommel end of his sword up to connecting it harshly to the mans head. Effectively knocking him out. Without hesitation, he turned and used **Kawarimi** to replace himself with Sakura, before it was too late. Effectively blocking the strike with his blade.

'_**That's the second time he has done that to protect you, you know.' **_Inner pointed out as Sakura stared in disbelief with a slight blush as Naruto paired off with the second attacker, before she heard a groan in pain from behind her. Turning, she saw the first attacker beginning to stir slightly. Not wasting any time, she kicked him in the face, knocking him out once more before producing some ninja wire and securing the prisoner.

By the time Sasuke got back to his feet, Naruto had already subdued the second attacker and had moved him over to his accomplice and tied them both up together. Much to the last Uchiha's ire, as the raven haired emo glared at the blonde hanyou.

'_How dare that clanless loser humiliate me like this and make me look weak!?'_ Sasuke mentally seethed.

"Now that that's settled." Naruto commented before looking to the forest line. "You can come out now Kakashi-sensei!"

"Naruto, what do you mean?" Sakura sobbed. "Kakashi-sensei is dead."

Naruto didn't reply and instead gestured towards the location their sensei supposedly died in, revealing only shredded pieces of wood from a log the masked jonin had replaced himself with. Causing Sakura's eyes to widen in realization.

"You didn't think he would be that easy to kill, did you?"

"Very good team." Came Kakashi's voice as he stepped back onto the road from his hiding spot. This caused Naruto to raise an eye brow as the man never complimented them as a team. He always found something to stroke the Uchiha's ego. Even Sakura gave the masked jonin a confused look.

"Now to see who these two are." The cycloptic jonin stated as he pulled out a second book, much to the surprise of his team of genin. "Gozu and Meizu, missing nin from Kirigakure. Known as the Demon Brothers."

"Have any past run ins with these two, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Nope." The man lazily replied. "This is the first time we've met."

"Which means…." Sakura said looking to the elder bridge builder who was now sweating up a storm.

Kakashi seemed to have the same idea as he walked over to Tazuna and stared down at the elder man, making the poor man sweat even more. Knowing full well that he wasn't entirely truthful in what was really happening in his home country.

"Now, Tazuna-san." The masked jonin began, eerily calm. "You are going to tell me everything and why you lied about what this mission entailed."

With a heavy sigh, the old man explained everything. From Gato moving his business into the country and beginning to strangle the entire country for more money. Leaving many family business bankrupt or very close to it. The way he had women kidnapped to entertain his men and to be sold off as sex slaves. The bridge builder was silently thankful that they hadn't turned their eyes towards his own daughter yet, but he knew they would eventually.

"I see." Kakashi sighed. "Due to the client misleading us about the nature of the mission, protocol dictates that we turn back and…."

"No, we push forward." Sasuke interrupted. "I am an Uchiha! I will not run away like a weak coward because of some stupid, scared old man. Once I unlock my Sharingan, I will be unstoppable and be one step closer to fulfilling my ambition!"

"Well," The masked jonin sighed once more, looking to his other two students. "What do you two think?"

"I only agree with duck ass that we should move forward and help these people." Naruto replied. "Besides this scenario is a double edged sword. If we abandon our client, it will set a bad precedent for the village. But if we complete this mission, it will increase the villages reputation among other potential clients."

"And you, Sakura?" The silver haired sensei turned his attention to the pink haired girl.

"I-I agree with Naruto." She stated, earning a raised eyebrow from the masked jonin. Normally she would agree with Sasuke, not Naruto. Though then again, the man couldn't deny that Naruto had made a much better case then the Uchiha did.

"Very well." Kakashi stated. "We will continue on with the mission. However, Tazuna-san. Be aware that you will have to pay the mission difference once we are done."

The old bridge builder nodded his head in agreement as Kakashi set to work ensuring the two Kiri shinobi were firmly confined before summoning one of his dog summons to return them to Konoha for interrogation and to collect the bounty on the two.

* * *

**Inuzuka Compound**

The head of the Inuzuka clan watched as her daughter lounged under one of the large trees that dotted their compound, stroking the fur of one of her three ninkens that always accompanied her. Tsume could see the tell tale signs. Hana Inuzuka had a crush on a boy. In fact, this was the first time she could recall her daughter ever being enamored with a boy. And Tsume had it on good authority who that particular boy is.

Naruto Uzumaki.

It wasn't hard since all week last week, her oldest pup would tell anyone who had the misfortune of being trapped by her about the blonde boy who had saved her ninken. Much to the amusement of the Clan Head, and the aggravation of her youngest pup. Tsume frowned at Kiba's reaction when Hana had gushed about the boy. She knew her pup didn't view the blonde very kindly due to the Hyuga heiress's interest in the blonde, and now that his own sister was pinning for Naruto as well, just aggravated the young Inuzuka all the more.

Tsume herself had no problems with the young blonde, as she had been very close friends with his mother before she passed away. If it wasn't for that damned civilian council, she would have adopted the pup years ago. The thought of those bastards made the feral woman's blood boil. She just knew that one of them, if not all of them, were behind the constant 'Fox Hunts' the boy had to endure growing up. She did what she could to look out for the young blonde, but like the Hokage, she was extremely limited in what she could do for him.

Though she was surprised to discover that the snake mistress herself, Anko, had entered a relationship with the boy. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she did see a strong bond between the two. She really didn't care about the age difference between the two. Hell, she was a solid thirteen years older then Kiba's father before that sack of shit ran off.

Still, if the boy her pup had a crush on was already in a relationship, it would cause heartbreak for her. As a mother, she could only wait and comfort her pup when the time came. She knew there was one way to avoid such heartbreak, depending on if the boy knew about his heritage. Still, she didn't like the concept of the Clan Restoration Act, as she had seen it go wrong all too many times. Where the women were merely treated as breeding stock, and little else.

This also put her in a complicated position in the future. She knew the civilian council was already starting to push the Hokage into admitting the last Uchiha into the program. Her instincts screamed that the raven haired boy would not respect any woman that was forced to be with him, and she knew that if Hana wasn't in a relationship by the time this happened, the bastards on the council would push to have her given to the spoiled brat.

No, if her daughter was going to be in a relationship that revolved around the CRA, she preferred it being with Naruto. She saw how he treated the snake mistress with love and respect, and felt that he would no doubt treat any woman he was with the same way. The only question was, how would the Inuzuka Clan Head approach the blonde about his heritage.

She decided that she would invite both Naruto and Anko over to talk to them about it, once the boy returned from his mission. In the mean time, she was content to sit back and watch how things unfolded. Besides, seeing Kiba fume over the blonde had been quite entertaining.

* * *

**With Team 7, Four Days After the Demon Brothers**

Meanwhile, Naruto was having a sneeze attack. Prompting everyone to look at him in questioning.

"Sorry." He sheepishly replied. _'Someone must be thinking about me.'_

'_**Pretty sure it's more then one thinking about you, Naruto-kun.'**_ Ahri giggled.

After the attack of the Demon Brothers, the group had been more aware of their surroundings. Not wanting to get caught off guard again, and now that they knew the truth of what was happening in Nami no Kuni, they were better prepared.

Without warning, Sasuke had leapt forward and threw a kunai into some random bushes, causing everyone to look at the raven haired boy. With a bored sigh, Naruto entered the bushes to see what had gotten the emo's attention. Seconds later, returning with a bloodied kunai and a white rabbit.

"Congratulations Sasuke, you found a rabbit." Naruto grinned, causing the raven haired emo to scoff and a soft glare from Sakura.

'_Why is the fur white?'_ Kakashi thought to himself as he analyzed the rabbit the blonde had let go and ran off into the bushes once more.

A whistling noise caught everyone's attention as a massive object came flying through the trees.

"Get down!" Both Naruto and Kakashi exclaimed, with the blonde pulling down Sakura and the old man, whilst Kakashi tackled Sasuke to the ground, as the boy had yet to move from his position. Just in time to avoid being cut in half by the massive blade that arced over the group before embedding itself into a tree across from the group.

Slowly, they stood up and eyed the figure that was crouched upon the embedded blade. A muscular topless male with bandages covering the mans mouth.

"Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist." Kakashi stated, recognizing the man from his BINGO book. Raising his headband to reveal his lone Sharingan.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And chapter finished!

A little shorter then the past few, but I felt this was a good place to leave it and give something for the next chapter to start off with!

Hope everyone enjoyed the little Anko moment of her missing Naruto, and giving advice to Kurenai. Also, wanted to shed some light on the happenings in the Inuzuka house hold and Tsume's thoughts on things.

Anyways, feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews!


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Notes:** The Wave mission has begun! Now things are really going to start picking up for a favorite hanyou. Also, more of Kakashi's favoritism on the rise! Also, we will get to see Sasuke be everybody's favorite prick and start demanding stuff, it's going to be fun!

**Current Poll Standing:**

_**Should Kushina join the harem? **_

_**Current Standings.**_

_**Yes – 81%**_

_**No – 19%**_

Poll is still open, so be sure to vote!

Please be aware that if Kushina does join, it won't happen immediately between the two, and there will be resistance on both sides as they would be struggling to come to terms with their own feelings towards each other.

**Biginferno** – Don't worry, Sasuke always has Orochimaru that will love him for his body.

**YeagerMeister31** – Yup, both Sakura and Ino strike me as the type of friends that would experiment like that. Course, then they had to start their stupid rival over the emo.

**Bloodbrother 18** – You don't think it would be more amusing for Kurenai and Hinata to have a confrontation when our genjutsu mistress joins the pack?

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Ayame, Tsume, Temari, Mikoto, Rin, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Karin, Kurotsuchi, Pakura, Fem!Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Fuka, Yugito, Tenten, Tayuya, Kin, Ameyuri, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, Mei, Tsunami, Tsunade, Shizune, Shizuka, Natsuhi, Hokuto, Konan, Ryuzetsu, Yukata, Yakumo, and Fem!Kyuubi

As stated, this is the final list.

So, if you have ideas on how Naruto should meet any of these beautiful women, feel free to share them with me. The ones I mainly need ideas for are Ameyuri, Pakura, Shizuka, Natsuhi, Hokuto, and Ryuzetsu.

Anyways, on with the show!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's/Inner Sakura**

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 8

"Run!" Kakashi shouted from the water prison he had managed to get himself trapped in. "Take the client and get as far as you can! His water clones can't travel too far from himself!"

'_Yeah, except Zabuza's water clones move nearly as fast as him and would cut both Sasuke and Sakura down before they got five feet.'_ Naruto mentally sighed. Though he did take heart that at least Kakashi cared about them enough to try and get them to safety. For now at least, knowing full well that once this was over it would be back to the same old crap of him sucking up to the Uchiha.

Currently, the three genin were surrounding the old man to protect him, as mist rolled in around them, completely obscuring their vision. Sasuke was looking in every direction in panic as he searched for any signs of movement. It kind of reminded the blonde hanyou of a bird, with the way the raven haired emo kept jerking his head in each direction.

Sakura for the most part fairing a little better. She had a determined look on her face and was mostly using her eyes to search for any movement in the mist, instead of full head movements. Knowing full well it could cause blurriness to her vision. Still, she was scared none the less. Her only comfort that she would get out of this all right was Naruto, surprisingly.

The blonde hanyou on the other hand had remained impassive as he summoned a tanto sized black blade into his hand in a reversed grip position. Though no one could see due to the thick mist, the teens eyes had changed from their normal cerulean blue to black, with a silver four point star design where his pupils were, as he had activated his **Shadō saito (Shadow Sight)**, allowing him to see perfectly through the mist and where everyone was through their life energy. Smirking some, as he even picked up traces of chakra in the mist, signifying where the water clones were.

"Larnyx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidney's or heart." A deep voice echoed all around them in the mist. "Which one do I chose?"

Without hesitating, Naruto spun around and thrust his black blade into the head of the large man that had appeared in the center of the group, just as he was lifting his massive blade to strike them down. Upon impact, the large man dispelled into a puddle of water, showing that it had been a water clone.

'_If you're going to kill someone, just kill them. Don't just talk about it.'_ The blonde hanyou mentally scoffed, earning a giggle from Ahri.

Slowly, the mist began to recede, prompting Naruto to deactivate his Shadow Sight, allowing his eyes to return to their normal cerulean blue. Looking across, he could see that Kakashi was still trapped inside the water prison.

'_Going to have to get him out of there.'_ Naruto frowned. To be honest, the blonde was a little disappointed that their sensei had been captured so easily. Then again, he could mark it up as to over confidence on the masked jonin's part.

"Impressive gaki, you killed one of my water clones." Zabuza stated in a mocking tone as he created another one to send towards the group. "Though, you should listen to your sensei and run away like the weak pathetic cowards you are."

Naruto saw through the mans ploy to agitate them into attacking, Sasuke however did not and began to charge forward in anger. Furious that someone would call him a coward.

"Sasuke! No!" The blonde yelled, trying to at least save the duck butt from getting himself killed.

"I am an Uchiha!" The arrogant boy shouted as he ran towards the water clone, kunai in hand. "I am an Elite and I am not a coward!"

Sasuke got within three feet of where the water clone was before receiving a brutal roundhouse kick to the stomach, causing the raven haired emo to spit up blood and saliva and sending him flying back to where Sakura and Naruto were. Immediately, the pinkette dropped down to her knees to aid her precious Sasuke-kun, only to be pushed away but a disoriented Uchiha, who could barely find his feet to stand.

"Leave me alone." The boy grunted.

"I'm just trying to help you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura insisted, trying to get the boy to his feet, only to be pushed away once more, this time more roughly. Causing the poor girl to stumble back slightly.

"I don't need the help of a weak and pathetic fan girl." He seethed, causing the poor pinkette to fight back the tears that were threatening to break free.

Naruto only sighed and shook his head, before performing a single hand seal to create four shadow clones to stay and watch over the old man and his two team mates. Keeping his black blade in a reverse grip position he stalked forward towards the water clone, as Sakura and Tazuna watched on.

"What are you doing Naruto!?" Kakashi yelled from his water prison. "You aren't strong enough to go up against his water clone! Just get Sasuke and the client out of here!"

"You know we won't make it more then twenty feet before he catches up to us, right?" Naruto pointed out, though narrowed his eyes slightly at the silver haired jonin not mentioning getting Sakura to safety as well. "So, our only chance is to get you out of there."

Ignoring any further protest made by his jonin sensei, Naruto continued forward, meeting the water clone head on. As the water clone moved to slash at the young blonde, Naruto ducked under the blade, spinning around while slashing his own blade deep within the water clone, causing it to dispel into a puddle of water.

Sakura could only watch on in awe as Naruto had effortlessly taken out the water clone, whilst Sasuke glared at the blonde, once again being out done by the clanless loser. Meanwhile Inner Sakura was drooling at how strong the blonde was. Twirling his blade, so that it was in the forward position, Naruto thrust his sword arm out slightly, causing the blade to lengthen to the size of a proper katana sword.

"That's quite the technique you have there, gaki." Zabuza genuinely complemented the blonde. Truly impressed with the concept of being able to summon forth a weapon. "I wonder how durable it is."

"You will find that my **Dākuburēdo (Dark Blade)** is quite durable." Naruto smirked, knowing full well his shadow blades were virtually indestructible.

"Good." Zabuza laughed as he propped his massive sword up with one hand, as if it were as light as a feather. "Let's see just how good you think you are gaki."

Naruto only grinned as he dropped into a very familiar stance to Kakashi, causing the masked jonin to widen his eyes in recognition.

'_How does Naruto know th__at style?__'_ The silver haired man thought to himself with a slight scowl, thinking that the young blonde had stolen the technique. _'That is __Uzuki's Moon Dance style__.'_

'_Would be foolish to try and block his blade, even though I do have the strength to do so. No need to reveal my true power so soon.'_ Naruto thought to himself, with Ahri nodding in agreement.

Knowing that he only had a few minutes tops, to get Kakashi out of the water prison before he ran out of air, Naruto kicked off the ground and shot forward with surprising speed. Nearly catching the Kirigakure shinobi off guard with how quick the young blonde had closed the distance between the two. Hefting his massive sword up, Zabuza performed a powerful swing with his left arm, aiming to bifurcate the young teen in one blow.

However, Naruto had anticipated this and at the last second the blonde hanyou dropped and skidded on his knees under the blade, allowing it to pass harmlessly above him. Twisting as he slid, Naruto prepared his own attack and slashed upwards at the right arm that was holding the water prison. Zabuza's eyes widened in realization of what had happened and quickly released the water prison to save his hand, avoiding it from being cut off.

Jumping back, the Kirigakure missing nin could only stare at the blonde in pure shock of how effortlessly he had made it look to get him to disengage the water prison.

"Not bad gaki." The Kirigakure nin stated with a chuckle. "Question is, was that skill or just luck?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" The blonde grinned.

Both swordsmen readied their blades before charging towards each other and began to trade blows with one another. Rather then full on blocking, Naruto would use his blade to deflect the much larger sword away from him before moving in close and delivering a few solid kicks to Zabuza's body before retreating back out of range.

'_This gaki is smart.'_ Zabuza thought to himself as he continued to trade blows with the blonde hanyou. _'Deflects my blade away and gets inside for some quick shots before jumping back out of range. Kid shows a lot of potential.'_

The two trade more blows over the next few minutes, though not following the same pattern as Zabuza began to guard his insides a bit more to prevent Naruto from getting in a few hits. Though the blonde hanyou still managed to sneak a few good kicks or punches into the larger mans ribs, fairly certain that he had cracked a few of them.

As the two once more charged for a third exchange, Kakashi jumped in the center and blocked Zabuza's blade with his kunai, his sharingan eye spinning furiously at the Kiri missing nin.

"Your fight is with me." Kakashi stated. "Naruto, get back with the team. We'll talk about this later."

"Looks like _'tou-san'_ is upset." Naruto chuckled, though spitting out the word 'tou-san' with venom. "Guess we'll have to play later, Zabuza-san."

Jumping back, Naruto rejoined the others, allowing his blade to dissipate. He ignored the glare from the Uchiha, as he retook his position beside the elder bridge builder, dispelling his clones as he did so. Sakura could only stare at the blonde in pure shock and awe. Still trying to wrap her head around what she had just witnessed. Naruto, a fresh genin from the academy had just gone toe to toe with an enemy that gave her jonin sensei a hard time.

"What's the matter Kakashi?" Zabuza mocked the masked jonin. "Jealous that the kid was giving me a better fight then you did?"

Kakashi didn't bother replying, instead jumping back and doing a series of hand seals.

"**Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!)**" The masked jonin shouted, shooting a powerful torrent of water aimed towards Zabuza.

Anticipating the attack, the Kirigakure shinobi jumped out of the way, avoiding the torrent of raging water as it ripped through a tree with enough force to cut it in half. Though Zabuza was a bit curious as to how Kakashi was able to perform the jutsu with that face mask on.

Stopping off to the side of the silver haired jonin, Zabuza began to go through a large series of hand seals. However, he was shocked to see Kakashi mirroring each one perfectly and at the same time as him. Both finishing at the exact same time.

"**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Dragon Technique)**" Both exclaimed at the same time.

Immediately, two large forms of water began to take shape into what appeared to be leviathan like dragons. Each intertwining with one another before they bit into each others bodies. Fighting for dominance, but only to come out equally matched as both bodies began to lose their form.

'_Something's not right.'_ Thought Zabuza. _'He's copying my every movement. But how!? __It's almost as if he can….__'_

"Read your mind?" The silver haired jonin stated, causing the missing nin to widen his eyes in shock.

Once more, both began going through a series of hand seals. With once again, Kakashi mirroring it perfectly. However, Zabuza hesitates, as he swears he sees an image of himself behind the masked jonin. In that moment, Kakashi finished the last hand seal.

"**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)**!" The silver haired jonin exclaimed. Sending a furious torrent of water into Zabuza, hitting him directly.

The Kirigakure missing nin was at the mercy of the rapids as the waters slammed him into a tree with massive force. Knocking the wind out of him. Before he could recover, a series of kunai struck his arms and legs, causing him to grunt out in pain.

"How?" The man breathed out. "Can you see the future?"

"I foresee, your death." Kakashi declared as he moved to deliver the finishing blow.

However, before he could close the distance, two senbon needles penetrated Zabuza's neck completely. The man couldn't even react before he fell to the ground, un-moving.

"Fu fu fu, it looks like your prediction did come true." A voice sounded from the tree across from where Kakashi was. Alerting everyone to the presence of the masked figure that had just shown up.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked, not taking his eyes off the masked individual.

"I am a hunter nin from Kirigakure, tasked with killing Zabuza there." The individual stated. "I must thank you for weakening him. He has been a most, troublesome prey."

"I see." The silver haired jonin stated as he covered his sharingan eye once more with his hitae-ate.

Seeing this as their opening, the Hunter-nin jumped down and moved towards the body of Zabuza. Grasping the corpse firmly. Without another word, the masked figure disappeared in a shunshin with the body of Zabuza.

"Well, now we should…."

Kakashi never got to finished as he fell over and would have hit the ground had Naruto not rushed forward and caught him. Taking note of his sensei's vitals, he let out a sigh of relief before turning back to the rest of his team.

"Chakra exhaustion." The blonde explained. "How far is your home, Tazuna-san?"

"About a mile up the road." The elder bridge builder answered.

Nodding, Naruto hoisted his sensei over his shoulders and joined the others as they continued on their way. Tazuna in front, and surprisingly, Sakura was walking beside Naruto. Though she didn't speak, the hanyou could feel a range of emotions flowing through her. Relief being the most prominent among them. Though the blonde did pick up hints of anger and resentment.

At the back of the group was the resident emo himself, all the while glaring at the back of his blonde team mate.

'_I don't know how he got so strong.'_ Sasuke seethed. _'But I will find out what it is, and I will demand that he trains me in that power. Hatake will help me, he always gives me what I want. Then, I will be able to kill Itachi!'_

* * *

**One Hour Later**

An hour had passed since the confrontation with Zabuza and the mysterious Hunter-nin before the group arrived at a quaint looking home on the waters edge. Complete with a small fishing dock. As the group approached, the door open, revealing a slender dark blue haired woman roughly the age of twenty four. Naruto noted that she was wearing a pink blouse with red accents along the neck and arms. A dark blue dress to complete her outfit. A single silver chained necklace adorning her neck.

Though one thing that stood out to the blonde hanyou was the red cloth she had wrapped around her left fore arm. Though it was old, he could still smell trace amounts of blood from it.

"Tou-san!" The woman cried happily. "You're home!"

"That I am, Tsunami-chan." The old man smiled. "And I brought help."

The woman now identified as Tsunami looked over the group before she laid her eyes on Naruto. Allowing them to linger for a moment as she took in his details. She could see something was embroided on his jacket, though she couldn't quite make it out due to the body of the teams sensei blocking it from view. Bowing, she thanked them for protecting her father, and coming to help.

"You're very welcome, Tsunami-san." Naruto replied. "Do you have a room where our sensei can rest? He kind of over exerted himself and needs a good nights rest."

"Of course, follow me please." She answered with a smile.

Leading them into the house, she directed Naruto to a room at the top of the stairs that was vacant. Only furnished with a few futons. Tsunami held the door open as the Konoha shinobi filed in. Gently, Naruto laid the masked jonin down on one of the free futons, finally allowing the woman to see the kanji written on the back of his trench coat, causing her eyes to widen at the realization.

'_Shadow Fox'_

Once more, Tsunami allowed her eyes to linger on the blonde, as anticipation and excitement bubbled up inside of her.

'_It is just as Jashin-sama said.'_ She eagerly thought. _'Soon, we shall be sheltered by the shadow of the fox!'_

"If there is anything you need, let me know." She finally spoke, before departing the room. A smile on her face. She desperately wanted to get the blonde alone so she could talk to him, and hopefully confirm what she thought. Even though she knew it to be true. It couldn't be a coincidence that this young man would arrive with such a peculiar kanji on the back of his jacket, mirroring her goddesses words.

Once the woman left, Kakashi opened his eyes, revealing he had been faking being asleep the entire time. Slowly, he looked over each of his students.

"So what's the plan, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"With Zabuza, this mission has easily gone from a C-Rank to an A-Rank." Kakashi sighed.

"But Zabuza is dead, right?" Sakura pointed out. "That hunter nin killed him and took the body."

'_Not really, since that hunter nin had watched our entire fight.' _Naruto thought to himself. _'No doubt that they are working with Zabuza, and by extension, this Gato guy. Question is, why though?'_

"Tell me Sakura, what do Hunter-nins do when they kill their target?" The silver jonin inquired.

The pinkette thought to herself for a moment, before answering. "They dispose of the body on the spot…."

"And yet this one takes the body." The blonde added. Making sure everyone was on the same page.

"So there Zabuza could still be alive then." Sasuke smirked. "Good, he caught me off guard last time. Next time, I will show him why I am an elite."

Naruto, and surprisingly Sakura, could only arch an eye brow at the delusional Uchiha. So far, his title of being an 'elite' has not been going well. He couldn't defeat one of the Demon Brothers, and he got flattened by Zabuza who wasn't even trying.

"Due to the change of mission parameters, we should request back up from Konoha to be safe." Naruto suggested, ignoring the glare the Uchiha sent his way. "I would recommend asking for Team 8 or Neko, if she is free."

"Why them, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Simple, Team 8 is a tracking team. Their tracking abilities would come in handy to ensure we don't get caught off guard." The blonde stated. "As for Neko, she is a highly skilled ANBU and would be a great assistance against Zabuza."

'_Not to mention both of them could be here in seconds with their Shadow Step ability.'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'Though, I expect it would be a bit of a shock for the rest of Team 8 to travel like that.'_

"Pfft, I don't need any back up." The raven haired boy exclaimed. "Once I unlock my Sharingan, I will kill Zabuza and his little helper myself!"

"So what do we do, Kakashi-sensei?" The pinkette asked.

"For now, we rest." Kakashi stated. "Tomorrow we will begin training for our next encounter with Zabuza and the masked shinobi that was with him."

"So you're not going to request reinforcements?" The blonde asked, with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Mostly in his supposed sensei for being so short sighted and endanger them further just to stoke the Uchiha's ego.

"We don't need it." The man stated. "Sasuke, Sakura you two are dismissed, I need to have a talk with Naruto."

The blonde mentally scoffed, as he already knew what was about to happen. He waited for both his team mates to leave before shutting the door and awaited the lazy jonin to start.

"Naruto, you were reckless when you ignored my orders and attacked Zabuza." Kakashi began, narrowing his eyes at the blonde whom merely shrugged. "Not to mention, stealing techniques from other shinobi from the village?"

"I assume you're talking about my use of the Moon Dance style?" Naruto cocked an eye brow. "For your information, I haven't stolen anything. I am not an Uchiha, I don't need to steal, Hatake."

The Uchiha comment caused the silver haired jonin to narrow his eyes at the boy. Though he did flinch slightly at the teens use of his last name, rather then his title or even nickname that the blonde had dubbed him with.

"So if you didn't steal it, then how do you know it."

"How does anyone know how to do something, Hatake?" Naruto stated with annoyance. "They are taught. Neko, or should I say, Yugao-chan taught me her style when I sought her out for training with swords."

Kakashi's eyes widened upon hearing that Naruto knew Neko's identity.

"You know it is looked down upon to have another train you when you already have a sensei." The silver haired man stated, shaking off his earlier shock.

"Once again, you assume I am learning from her now." The blonde sighed. "Truth is, I finished up my apprenticeship under Yugao-chan just before graduation. The only extra training I get now, is from Anko-chan. And as her and I are engaged, she is free to teach me anything she wants."

'_And Jashin-chan.'_ Naruto mentally added, with a sly grin.

"Now, if you're done singling me out and accusing me of various other bullshit, I am going to go rest for tomorrow's training."

When Kakashi didn't reply, Naruto left the room, closing the door behind him softly. As he headed down stairs, he was approached by Sakura of all people.

"What did Kakashi-sensei want?" She inquired.

"Oh, he just wanted to thank me for saving him from the water prison he was in."

"Are you sure you were talking to Kakashi-sensei and not an impostor?" Sakura cocked an eye brow, earning a small chuckle from the blonde.

"No, he wanted to ask how I know how to use swords and the style I was using."

"What was that style anyways?" The pinkette asked. "It looked beautiful."

"It's called the Moon Dance style." Naruto answered. "It relies on natural flexibility and evasion instead of powerful strikes and blocking."

"Are you okay?" He asked, after a moment of silence passed between the two. While they were civil towards each other, the pinkette never attempted to carry out a conversation this long before. He had a suspicion as to why she was being more social with him. All surrounding a certain Uchiha and his recent actions. Whom suspiciously, wasn't around.

"Yeah. I'm…." Sakura sighed before continuing. "I'm just frustrated that I try to help Sasuke, and he only pushes me away and insults me."

Naruto could see tears starting to form around the pinkette's eyes. He knew that she was hurting on the inside from what had transpired a few hours ago. It was evident as the usual '-kun', was missing from the Uchiha's name. Gently reaching up, he wiped away the tears that were starting to form. Sakura was shocked by this gesture as she gazed up at the blonde who was looking into her eyes. At the close proximity, she couldn't help but blush.

'_**Kiss him, kiss him, **__**kiss him**__**!'**_ Inner Sakura chanted, causing the pinkette to blush even more.

"I know you're in love with him." He gently spoke, breaking her out of her trance like state. "But unfortunately, you can't help those that don't want help. And to be honest, I don't think Sasuke will ever accept anyone's help. Currently, it seems all he cares about is himself and what others can give him."

Sakura could only nod her head in acknowledgment. As much as she wanted to, she just couldn't bring herself to defend her love. Mostly because she knew that her blonde team mate wasn't trying to insult Sasuke. He was merely speaking the truth.

Feeling he had comforted his team mate enough, Naruto stepped back and began to depart the house. Sakura couldn't help but feel cold at his sudden absence, no longer being comforted by his warmth. Looking up, she saw as he approached the door.

"What are you going to do, Naruto?"

"I am going to scout around and see whats going on." He replied. "You get some rest, you look tired."

With that, he left the house to scout the perimeter of the home before heading off into the town area. Leaving the pinkette alone to digest his words and struggle with her own rising feelings towards the blonde hanyou.

* * *

**Unknown Location, Nami no Kuni**

The light from the rooms lone lantern flickered, as it cast the shadows of a lone individual leaning over what appeared to be a makeshift bed. Currently occupied by a prone muscular man with two needles lodged in his neck. As the standing individual leaned down to gently remove the foreign objects, the muscular man shot his hand up to stop the person. Reaching up, he brutally ripped the two needles from his neck.

"Gently please, Zabuza-sama." The masked individual stated, clearly worried about the larger man. "If you pull those out any which way, you really will kill yourself.

"How long are you going to keep that ghoulish mask on?" The larger man grunted.

Taking the hint, the masked individual unclasped their mask and removed it. Allowing the lights from the lantern to bounce off of her smooth, almost perfect skin, with her jet black hair framing her face. Her chocolate brown eyes full of concern for the larger male.

"How are you feeling, Zabuza-sama?" She asked.

Zabuza was silent for a handful of seconds as he mentally recounted his fight with the Konoha shinobi. He was upset at himself for falling for Kakashi's mind games that gave the silver haired shinobi the edge in their battle.

"I shouldn't have let myself fall for that Konoha scums mind game, Haku." He replied, narrowing his eyes slightly. "However, that blonde gaki. He interests me."

"He is no older then I am, and yet it seemed he was very skilled with that ability of his." Haku commented.

"Even more, I have a feeling he was holding back." The larger man speculated, as he laid back down in the bed. "I look forward to fighting him again."

Haku could only smile at Zabuza. The man always did enjoy a good fight. Especially with those that could really push him to his limit.

However, their conversation was interrupted when the two heard the door creek open, exposing a short gray haired man with a mustache and sun glasses, wearing a business suit. Two individuals with swords on either side of him. One was a shorter man, with bluish-white hair and a large overcoat. Two red lines tattooed under his eyes.

The second figure was a taller, slightly more aged looking man with an eye patch over his right eye with dull brown hair tied up into three top knots. Large tribal style tattoos adorning his left chest, shoulder and arm. These two were exiled samurai from the Land of Iron, now acting as the corrupt businessman's bodyguards.

"You have some nerve showing your face around here after that failure of yours against those pathetic Konoha shinobi." Gato stated, clearly displeased with the results. "It would appear that Kirigakure shinobi are over rated."

This earned a small chuckle from the mans two body guards.

"I'll get them next time." Zabuza merely shrugged as best he could. His body still feeling the effects of being in a death like trance. "Just keep my pay coming."

"You have one more chance, Zabuza." Gato sneered. "You fail me again, and I will have these two cut off your arms and legs, leaving you alive to watch the rest of my men have fun with your little tool here."

Both ex-samurai grinned at the concept. Eager to spill blood. To ensure he had the last word in the matter and to leave his threat standing, Gato departed the room, with the two body guards in tow behind him.

Both Zabuza and Haku however only glare at the trio as they departed. Haku was shaking in anger, and a bit of fear at the threat, whilst Zabuza's blood was boiling. He desperately wanted to cut that pathetic mans head off and shove it in an undisclosed location on the mans body.

"I really hate that man." Zabuza commented, earning a nod from Haku.

* * *

**Konohakagure, Night Time**

It had been a massively boring day for the beautiful ANBU known as Neko. The only interesting part of her day was when the Hokage's grandson burst into the room, attempting to kill the old man in the child's bid for becoming Hokage, only to trip on his own scarf and face plant into the floor. It was cute the first few times, though after the 438th attempt, it was starting to get annoying.

Making her way towards the Dango Shop to meet up with the rest of the girls, the purple haired woman couldn't help but wonder how her mate was doing on his first mission outside of the village. She couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the prospect of being able to be openly affectionate to the blonde hanyou after he returned and talked with the Hokage. And she fully intended to keep her word of dry humping her lover in front of Hayate.

Smirking at the thought, she continued on her way towards her destination. Arriving there after a few minutes. As she approached, she could make out Kurenai and Anko talking about something, while Hinata sat in between them, eating a stick of dango, and to her surprise, drinking some sake.

"Anko, would you stop corrupting my student!" Kurenai stated in an exasperated tone. "She's already dressing like you, I don't need her having your drinking habits too!"

Anko could only laugh in response at how over protective her friend was being over her student. Even the Hyuga heiress herself was chuckling at her sensei's antics. Yugao could see the dark haired girl's cheeks were already a touch flushed, indicating that the Hyuga heiress was already a little tipsy from her consumption of the alcoholic beverage.

"Ladies." Yugao greeted as she entered the establishment, taking a seat next to Anko. Giving the snake mistress a one armed hug.

"So, anything interesting happening in the old goat's office?" Anko asked in a teasing tone.

"Anko! Show some respect for the Hokage!" Kurenai chastised, and cast Hinata a sharp glare as the heiress stifled a giggle.

"Oh, there was another attempt on his life." The purple haired woman casually commented. "Bringing the total tally to 438."

"Kid's determined, gotta give him that." The snake mistress replied, as they all knew who it was.

"When is that kid ever going to learn that there is no short cut to being the Hokage?" Kurenai asked, while shaking her head.

"Who knows." Yugao shrugged. "Naruto-kun even gave him a small lecture about it, but looks like it went through one ear and out the other."

'_Naruto-kun?'_ The ruby eyed genjutsu mistress mentally questioned herself, as she never recalled the ANBU woman to ever refer to Naruto in such a way.

"Doesn't help, given who the kids private tutor is." Anko replied. "Wouldn't put it passed the closet pervert to tell Konohamaru to just ignore what Naruto-kun told him."

"Anything else interesting happen?" Hinata asked with a slight slur to her speech, taking another sip from her sake bottle.

"Well, since Naruto-kun advised Hokage-sama to use Shadow Clones to get the paper work done faster, the old man has been binge reading his Icha Icha Paradise books." The purple haired beauty sighed in annoyance.

"Seriously?" Anko asked. "What the hell do people see in those books anyways, it's just smut. No story, no character development, no plot. Just sluts with big tits that jump on the main characters dick on every page."

"Anko! Language!" Kurenai chastised, though the snake mistress just waved her off.

"Personally, I am glad Naruto-kun gave me a copy of Demon Heart." Yugao smiled, as she produced said book from her pouch. "Much better story and characters, and the love feels more grounded and real. Not driven by lust."

"I agree, much more well written." The snake mistress smiled, producing her own copy and hugging it. "Can't wait for the third book to come out."

"What's it about?" The ruby eyed mistress asked, a little interested in to why her friends and by the looks of it, her student, were so interested in this book series.

"You haven't read it yet Nai-chan?" Anko inquired.

"No," Kurenai shook her head. "Every time I go to the book store, they are sold out."

"Here," Yugao stated as she handed her friend her copy of the book. "You can borrow mine, I've already read it at least twenty times."

"Are you sure?" Kurenai asked as she took the book. Looking it over. The cover featured a fantasy setting with a knight standing on a battlefield littered with various broken weapons, shields, and bodies. While she appreciated the effort put into the art, it was the tag line that caught her attention.

'_A world divided, but can a forsaken love unite the broken world?'_

'_Interesting.' _The genjutsu mistress thought to herself as she flipped the book over to read the summary on the back. She was beginning to see just why this book series was so popular with the women in the village.

"Just make sure I get it back, okay?" Yugao smiled as she saw her friend becoming absorbed with the book before being shaken out of her daze."

"Of course." Kurenai returned the smile. "Thank you."

"I miss Naruto-kun." Hinata said out of nowhere, as all the talk of the blonde was beginning to make he depressed of him not being around.

"Aw, it's okay Hinata-chan." Anko comforted her by wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "He'll be back before you know it. And then we can have some real fun with him."

Hinata could only giggle, catching the snake mistresses innuendo. This of course didn't get lost on Kurenai who only glared at her friend and student before shaking her head.

"Come on Hinata, I need you sober tomorrow." The genjutsu mistress stated as she began to guide the young Hyuga heiress out of her seat. "I'll let you sleep at my house, because there is no way in hell I am explaining to your father why you are drunk."

"You worry too much, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata giggled in her slurred voice.

"I'll catch you girls tomorrow." Kurenai bid her farewell to Anko and Yugao before guiding a stumbling Hinata to the streets.

"She grows up so fast." Anko grinned, while Yugao only shook her head while chuckling.

"You know Kurenai is going to tear into for getting her prized student drunk, right?"

Anko only shrugged. She wasn't too worried about her friends reaction.

"Yugao-chan, what a pleasant surprise to see you here." Came a voice from behind the two, accompanied with some coughs. Earning a scowl from the two women.

"You know I always come here after my shift, Hayate-teme." Yugao stated, clearly upset at the new arrival.

Hayate merely shrugged off her insult towards him, and pulled up a chair next to her, much to her annoyance.

"So, meet your supposed fiance yet?" He asked in a smug tone, believing that the man would never show up.

"As a matter of fact, I have." Yugao smiled. "And I must say, I am vastly pleased with the arrangement."

This only caused the coughing man to scowl. Something that did not go unnoticed by the two women, whom only smirked at his reaction.

"And just where is he?" Hayate asked.

"If you must know, he is on a mission the Hokage sent him on." Yugao replied.

"So he is a shinobi then." He stated. "Always that chance that he may never make it home."

"That is highly unlikely as he is rather skilled." The purple haired ANBU praised her mate. "I have had the honor of sparing with him multiple times, and he has always been able to come out on top. In more ways then one."

Yugao couldn't help but smirk as her innuendo had hit Hayate with full force. Causing jealousy to rise up within the man who just couldn't take the hint that the purple haired ANBU just wasn't interested in him. He scowled as he spied Anko behind her, covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Perhaps, but even the mightiest of shinobi have fallen." He responded, though his voice dripped with jealousy.

"Should that day ever come, Hayate-teme." Yugao narrowed her eyes towards the man, causing him to flinch slightly. "I would sooner date Anko-chan here, then you."

"Aw, I knew you loved me, babe." The snake mistress grinned, playfully wrapping her arms around the purple haired woman, causing said woman to chuckle and lean into her hold just to push it further.

This only caused the scowl on Hayate's face to deepen before he aggressively got up from his seat and left the stand, feeling humiliated once again by the object of his desire. Of course his quick departure only caused the two women to laugh even harder.

After a few minutes, their laughter finally died down, with Anko turning to her future sister-wife.

"So, how do you think he will take it when he finds out it's Naruto-kun?" The snake mistress arched an eyebrow.

"Fairly certain he is going to have a severe melt down, followed by an entire one sided argument about how he is more of a man then our lovely Naru-koi is, and probably swear some sort of revenge later." Yugao predicted, earning a chuckle from her friend and future sister-wife.

"Should be an entertaining show." Anko replied with a chuckle. "Very entertaining."

* * *

**With Kurenai and Hinata**

As the two walked, the Hyuga heiress continued to lean on her sensei for support as they made their way to her small apartment. Kurenai was thinking of all kinds of ways to tear into Anko for influencing her student to drink. Though on the other side of her thoughts, it was somewhat of a relief to see the girl be more open and confident.

Arriving to her two bedroom apartment, the genjutsu mistress guided her student to the spare bedroom and laid her down on the bed. Ensuring she was comfortable, only to be grabbed and pulled into a firm hug by the still tipsy girl, whom was also trying to kiss her, before realizing who she was with and blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry Kurenai-sensei." Hinata yawned. "I am use to hugging and kissing Naruto-kun good night when I stayed over at Anko-chan's."

"Hinata," Kurenai sighed, debating if she really wanted to approach this subject with the girl. "You do know that Naruto and Anko are dating, right?"

Hinata only nodded in response.

"I know you've had a crush on Naruto for a long time," Kurenai approached the subject as gently as she could. "But maybe you should start looking for other boys your age who are still single."

Hinata shook her head.

"It's okay, Anko-chan said we could share Naruto-kun." The Hyuga heiress smiled fondly. "And I have already slept with Naruto-kun."

Kurenai couldn't stop her mouth from dropping open. However, to her horror, her student continued.

"He was so gentle and loving." Hinata blushed with bliss filled eyes. "And so big. So big."

"O-okay, I will see you tomorrow morning then." The genjutsu mistress stated before hurrying out of the room. Not sure what to make of what her student had just said.

'_She must have been talking about a dream.'_ She tried to convince herself. _'Yeah that's it. She is just remembering a dream she had.'_

It was flimsy and illogical, but the ruby eyed woman didn't want to think of the alternative. Grabbing her favorite bottle of wine and a wine glass, she stared at the glass for a moment before setting it back down and retiring to her bedroom with the wine bottle, deciding she would have a talk with Anko about this later and get all the facts.

* * *

**Nami no Kuni, Night Time**

It was late by the time Naruto returned to the house. Partially because he wanted to make sure the home was secure, and mostly because he wanted to get a feel for the task at hand. Every time Gato's name was brought up, he felt a tingling in the back of his mind. He knew what it meant.

Jashin-chan wanted his soul, and Naruto was more then willing to full fill her will.

With that in mind, he looked for any information he could scour about the greedy man. Unfortunately for the blonde hanyou, he couldn't get any solid leads on where the man was hiding. Though he did learn that Gato had a small military force of bandits that numbered close to three hundred. Not to mention he always had to rogue samurai around him at all times acting as body guards.

As quietly as he could, he opened the kitchen door to enter the home. He was half expecting Kakashi to be sitting there waiting for him, or maybe Sakura. He was not however, expecting the bridge builders daughter sitting at the table with two cups of tea ready.

"Welcome back, Naruto." She smiled as she offered him one of the cups, which he gladly received, sitting down at the table with her. "Was your outing productive?"

"I was able to get a better idea of what we are up against." He responded truthfully, as he looked her over. Causing her to blush a little, though she didn't mind as she thought he was rather handsome. His eyes then wandered down to her arm where the bandage was still firmly wrapped around her forearm.

"Is your arm okay?" He asked. "If you need, I know a moderate amount of medical ninjutsu that can accelerate the healing process.

"If you wouldn't mind." She smiled as she undid the bandage, exposing a mostly healed cut. Though from what Naruto could see, it looked to have been a rather deep cut.

Placing his hand over the cut, his free hand gently holding her hand, a faint green glow began to emit from his hand. Coating the wound as he did so. Slowly, what was left of the wound began to close up and heal faster until nothing was left except smooth skin.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you receive such a cut?"

Deciding this would probably be her only chance, since everyone else was asleep. Not to mention, this was the reason she had stayed up to await the blonde shinobi.

"Can I show you something?" She asked as she got up from the table. "I am sure it is something you would be interested to see."

Naruto could only cock an eyebrow, while Ahri was blushing madly at the woman's bold move.

"It's nothing like that, I promise." She smiled, well aware of how her words sounded. "Although, you are cute. Maybe later."

'_**Oh my, she is a bold one, Naruto-kun.'**_ Ahri giggled from his mindscape.

Standing up, he followed Tsunami as she lead him to the basement and down the stairs until she stopped at a lone door at the bottom of the steps. Pulling out a key, she unlocked it and opened the door. Exposing her hidden alter she prayed to. Immediately, Naruto recognized it and couldn't help but to smile.

"I prayed to Jashin-sama two weeks ago to aide us in our time of need." Tsunami explained. "She told me that soon, we would be sheltered by the shadow of the fox. And here you are."

"What makes you think I am the one that Jashin-chan sent?" Naruto smiled as he looked at the dark blue haired woman.

"Jashin-chan, huh?" Tsunami smirked, slowly approaching the blonde hanyou. Once within arms reach, she reached out and traced her fingers around some of the threads on the front of his jacket, smiling as she gazed into his cerulean blue eyes. "Aside that you just gave it away? The name you have on the back of your coat, Shadow Fox, is a pretty big give away."

"I suppose it does." Naruto chuckled.

"Would it be too bold of me to kiss you, Naruto-kun?" She smiled, leaning in slightly.

"I wouldn't be opposed to receiving a kiss from a beautiful woman, such as yourself." The blonde gave a fox like grin. "Just so you know, you would have to share, since I have three girls back home."

Tsunami's only response was to lean in further until she was merely millimeters away from his lips, still gazing into his eyes.

"I don't mind." She whispered as she closed her eyes and instigated the kiss.

Naruto soon followed suit, closing his eyes as he allowed her tongue into his mouth to begin fighting for dominance with his own. Out of instinct, he held her closer as the kiss deepened between the two, not that she minded. It had been far too long since she had been held by a strong and caring man.

After a few minutes, the two broke the kiss with a string of saliva hanging between them. Tsunami couldn't help but blush as Naruto smiled to the young woman.

"Are you sure about this, Tsunami-chan?" The blonde hanyou asked, getting a nod in confirmation. "If you are sure about this, then let us take it slow and get to know each other better."

"I would like that very much, Naruto-kun." She smiled, giving another light kiss to the blonde hanyou.

'_**Looks like you got another one, Naruto-kun.'**_ Ahri teased from the back of his mind.

'_What can I say, the ladies just love me.'_ The blonde hanyou mentally responded, eliciting a small chuckle from the kitsune girl.

Before the two headed back upstairs, Tsunami made sure to lock up her alter room before joining the blonde upstairs to turn in for the night. Pleasant thoughts on the young woman's mind about the blonde in front of her. A perverted smile creeping onto her face as her mind gave her other images of the blonde shinobi.

'_Thank you Jashin-sama for sending him here.'_ She thought.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And Tsunami has made her move on our blonde hanyou!

I was originally going to have Tsunami talk with Naruto after their initial training, but decided Naruto returning to the house late would be the perfect time for her to talk to him in private. Also, she currently doesn't know that he is Jashin's champion, she only knows that Jashin had sent him.

She will find out when he takes her on a date, so any ideas on what they should do together?

As always, leave your comments, suggestions, and ideas in the reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors Notes:** And here we go again!

Things are going to start getting more interesting in this chapter. Sakura and Naruto are going to get a bit closer, Tsunami gets her date with our blonde hanyou, also we get a bit of a look into Tsunami's past love life, and Kakashi and Sasuke will act like complete jerks. Can't wait!

**Harem – **Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Anko, Ayame, Tsume, Temari, Mikoto, Rin, Hana, Yugao, Kurenai, Karin, Kurotsuchi, Pakura, Fem!Haku, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Hidan, Fu, Fuka, Yugito, Tenten, Tayuya, Kin, Ameyuri, Karui, Samui, Shion, Koyuki, Mei, Tsunami, Tsunade, Shizune, Shizuka, Natsuhi, Hokuto, Konan, Ryuzetsu, Yukata, Yakumo, and Fem!Kyuubi

Still open to ideas of how Naruto should meet Ameyuri, Shizuka, Natsuhi, and Hokuto.

Special thanks to **YeagerMeister31**, **Riot Bringer**, and **CrimsonStarBlade** for their ideas on how a few of the girls should meet up with our blonde hanyou.

Also, to clear up any confusion about Naruto's height compared to the rest of his girls. Naruto himself, stands around 5'10", since in canon he is only like 5'9". Figured this is a good height for him for this story. Puts him just a little taller then most of his girls.

Anyways, enough yapping. On with the story!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's/Inner Sakura**

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 9

**The Next Morning**

The smell of delicious food and laughter greeted the rest of Team 7 as they filed down the stairs and into the kitchen area, to find Naruto and Tsunami chuckling amongst each other as the blonde had shared a story of one of his past pranks he had pulled on some of the ANBU, minus his Yugao-chan. Dying their uniforms a vibrant pink and layering it with a seal that should they try and use a henge to hide the color, it would henge them into a random female appearance.

The first thing the pinkette noticed, was that the two sat rather close to each other, despite there being plenty of room at the table. This caused a small hint of jealousy to flare up from within her, even if she didn't want to admit it. Her Inner self on the other hand, was laughing up a storm, having sensed her outer self's reaction to the scene before them.

"Morning Sakura-san." Naruto greeted, purposely ignoring the other two as he took a sip of his coffee.

"You're up, breakfast is ready." Tsunami beamed. "Help yourself."

"Thank you, Tsunami-san." Sakura said before helping herself to a modest portion of eggs, bacon, and toast.

Kakashi also gave his thanks, while Sasuke only grunted. Prompting Naruto to whisper something into the woman's ear, causing her to giggle. Earning a glare from the emo, and for the masked jonin to narrow his eyes at the blonde.

Sakura, surprisingly, found that she didn't care. Despite knowing that what ever her blonde team mate had said was about Sasuke, she just didn't have the urge to defend the raven haired boy. After her short talk with Naruto the previous day, she really began to analyze her feelings towards the last Uchiha and how he himself acted towards every one around him.

Looking back through her memories, thankful that she had a photographic memory, she had come to the conclusion that her blonde team mate was correct. It had hurt her to admit it to herself, but the last Uchiha only cared about himself, power, and what those around him could give him. She had also began to recall anomalies that occurred during their years in the academy.

She could recall one particular moment that stood out. A civilian boy by the name of Jubei had actually out performed the last Uchiha in a ninjutsu demonstration by performing an impressive technique that even left the teachers mouths on the floor. However, the next day, Jubei was absent and Sasuke used the technique he had.

Sometime later, she had ran into her former classmate, and being her fan girl self at the time, had bragged about her _'Sasuke-kun'_ being able to perform the same jutsu even better then he had. However, the words he spoke still hung over her head. Now with even greater weight as she was beginning to learn just what type of person her precious _'Sasuke-kun'_ was.

'_Of course he performed it.' Jubei spat with venom. 'That bastard dragged me before the civilian council and forced me to hand over all of my jutsu's before they sealed my chakra and banished me from being a shinobi.'_

Sakura frowned at the memory. She never saw the boy after that day. This of course didn't go unnoticed by her blonde team mate.

"You okay, Sakura-san?"

"Yeah." She sighed, shaking away her memories. "Just thinking."

Naruto merely nodded, not wanting to push for anything. He figured that if she really needed to, she would talk to him later about it. Though he did notice a stark difference in her attitude towards their raven haired team mate. So far, she had refrained from attempting to sit close to Sasuke, like she normally would. In fact, the blonde noticed that she hadn't said a single word to him the entire morning.

In a word, he was proud of his pink haired team mate. It seemed that she had finally broken out of her fan girl ways completely.

"Once you finish breakfast, meet me out back in the forest." Kakashi instructed before he left the table. The man had cleared his plate without any of his genin noticing, prompting a series of arched eye brows wondering if he had ate through the mask.

A short while later, all three of the genin were gathered around their masked sensei, whom was standing near one of the many trees. As expected, the silver haired jonin had his nose in his orange book once more.

"So what are we going to be training with today, Kakashi-sensei?" Asked Sakura, sounding a bit more excited then she normally would have at the prospect of training.

"Tree climbing." The masked jonin stated with an eye smile.

Both Sakura and Naruto frowned at this, knowing full well what exercise their sensei was talking about. Sasuke on the other hand began to rant that climbing trees was a waste of time, demanding to know how climbing a tree would help him get stronger to fight Zabuza.

'_While I could think of countless other exercises to help better prepare ourselves for the coming fight, __though __duck ass is a complete idiot to think that tree walking is a waste of time since it helps with chakra control and helps expand your own reserves.'_ Naruto thought to himself.

"Can you do it without your hands, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, prompting the raven haired emo to shut up and look at the masked man in question.

As if to prove his point, the man turned and began to walk up straight up the tree as if he were on a leisurely stroll, much to the last Uchiha's shock. Sakura and Naruto however, were unfazed as both had mastered it already.

Once the masked man had finished his walk, now standing upside down on one of the thicker branches, he reached into his pouch and tossed three kunai at the ground in front of his genin.

"Use these to mark your progress" The man instructed, jumping down from the tree to stand in front of them once more.

Once in front of them, he began a lazy explanation of how to perform the tree walking exercise. Though, due to his laziness, he had left out a few small details. For a moment, Sakura and Naruto debated if they should fill in the missing information, but both decided against it. Since they knew that the Uchiha would no doubt get pulled to the side for more personal training with the masked jonin.

"Sasuke, grab your kunai and follow me. I have something I want you to work on as well as tree walking." Kakashi said, after he had finished his lazy explanation before turning to his remaining two. "You two stay here and work on your tree walking until you have perfected it. Which, knowing Naruto is going to take all day, if not longer."

Not leaving room for the blonde in question to talk back, the silver haired jonin quickly lead the last Uchiha deeper into the forest.

"Did he forget that you were fighting Zabuza on the water?" Sakura asked, after the two had disappeared into the trees.

"Not to mention we have an A-ranked missing-nin, who is also one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, after our client and his wonderful idea is to have you and I do tree walking while he pampers the Uchiha." Naruto sighed, clearly disappointed with his supposed sensei.

Without a doubt, if he hadn't already learned from Ahri-chan, Anko-chan, Jashin-chan, and Yugao-chan; he would be screwed at this point.

"Either way, I have an idea on what you can do. First, let's make some shadow clones to do the tree walking exercise and instruct them to pretend to struggle with it. In case Taida-sensei decides to check on us." The blonde instructed.

Without question, Sakura created her shadow clone and did as instructed before turning to her blonde team mate, awaiting to see what he had planned.

"Alright, while our clones are doing this, we are going to go further down the shoreline to avoid Taida-sensei from spying on us. There, we are going to determine what your elements are and go from there." Naruto explained, earning a nod and a look of anticipation from the pinkette. With that said, the two departed down the shoreline.

After a good half hour of walking, they reached an open beach area, with sheer cliff faces behind them. Giving them perfect cover from any would be spectator's. Perfect in case a certain silver haired shinobi stumbled near their location.

'_**You know, this is almost like a date.'**_ Inner Sakura gushed. _**'Just the two of you, alone on a private beach. Just imagine him suddenly turning around and kissing you, dominating your mouth with his tongue as you feel up those muscle he has!'**_

'_Sweet Kami, Inner!'_ Sakura blushed heavily at the onslaught of descriptions her inner self had provided. _'We are here to train, not ravage __or be ravaged by__ Naruto-kun.'_

'_**It's Naruto-kun now, is it?'**_ Inner teased, prompting her outer self to blush once more.

'…_.'_

'_**Don't be like that Outer-chan, it's good you're being honest with yourself.'**_

"Sakura-san, are you okay?" Naruto asked, snapping the pinkette out of her thoughts. "You kind of spaced out there."

"Yeah, sorry." She apologized, clearly embarrassed. As if the blonde in front of her could hear her inner dialogue.

"It's okay," He gave her a fox like grin. "You can fantasize about me later. Let's get started."

Immediately, Sakura went red from a deep blush that invaded her face. All the while her Inner Self was teasing her and threatening to unleash more details of what the two of them could do alone. If Naruto noticed, he said nothing as he rummaged through his trench coat and produced what appeared to be a square piece of blank paper.

"Here we go." He said as he handed a piece to the pinkette. "This is chakra paper, this will help us determine what your elements are. All you have to do is set it on the ground and channel some chakra into it."

"How will we know what my elements are?" She asked as she looked over the piece of paper.

"Well, it's simple." He explained. "If you have a fire element, the paper will catch on fire and turn to ash. Wind, it will cut in half and in some cases become shredded. Lightening will cause the paper to wrinkle. Earth, the paper will turn to dirt and crumble away. And finally water will make the paper become damp."

Sakura nodded in understand and set out to do as she was instructed. Not missing the irony that once again, she was learning more from Naruto then their own sensei. Setting the paper down, she channeled her chakra into it only for the paper to split itself in half. One half turned to dirt and crumpled away, while the other half became very damp.

"Alright, you have earth and water. Perfect for you really." Naruto smiled. "You have the perfect defense with earth, and a powerful offense with water."

Sakura actually wasn't too surprised. It actually felt like a perfect fit.

"Now, let's see here. Where did I put them." The blonde murmured to himself as he rummaged through his coat once more before producing two sealing scrolls. "Here we go."

Without explaining what he was doing, he opened both scrolls and applied a little chakra to each. Prompting a few scrolls to poof into existence. Clearly labeled 'Earth' and 'Water'.

"Unfortunately, I can't help you with these, since I don't have a strong affinity towards them." The blonde frowned. "But these scrolls should help you greatly."

"Thank you, Naruto-ku…." She stopped herself before she finished. "Um, what elements do you have?"

Naruto arched an eye brow at the sudden shift in behavior, but shrugged it off.

"I have wind, lightening, and darkness." He shrugged. "With a little bit of fire."

"You have four?!"

"It's complex, but yes." He sighed. "Wind and lightening are my main ones. The darkness comes from my blood line. And the fire, well; that's a bit more difficult to explain as it is an S-ranked secret in the village."

Sakura frowned slightly as she pondered what Naruto could be involved in that required such a high ranking secret to be placed around him. However, as curious as she was, she didn't push. She knew full well that divulging such a secret could sentence her to death, or worst case scenario, both of them.

"Maybe later I will tell you about it." He frowned. "For now, let's start training. I want you to create a second shadow clone and have it do water walking while you study those scrolls."

The pinkette nodded and set to work doing as he instructed.

* * *

**Six Hours Later**

It was around 2:00pm before Naruto and Sakura returned to the house. The pinkette looking a bit worse for wear then normal as she had decided to spar with the blonde to get a better grip of some of her new jutsu's. In which, Naruto had praised her for grasping them so quickly to be able to use them effectively in combat.

Once they had finished their spar, Naruto had given his pink haired team mate a Solider Pill to quickly replenish her chakra and strength. Which was the only reason she was able to stand on her own as the two entered the house, casually dismissing both of their shadow clones, receiving the memories of each clone. It seemed that their supposed sensei never once came to check on them.

"Welcome back." Tsunami smiled as she greeted the two. "I just finished making lunch."

"Thank you, Tsunami-chan, it smells wonderful." Naruto smiled, causing the woman to blush lightly at the compliment.

"Did you finish the tree walking exercise, Naruto?" Came a voice from behind the two.

Naruto turned his head enough to see Kakashi coming through the door with the raven haired emo trailing behind him.

"Course we finished it, it was pretty easy actually." The blonde smirked.

Kakashi only frowned in response. He could argue that the blonde was lying, though from the look of Sakura next to him, they had been training so it was very possible that he had finished the exercise as unlikely as it was. Then again, he acted nothing like his Academy profile suggested. He really needed to get a more up to date and accurate profile reading on the blonde.

"Oi, dobe." Sasuke broke Kakashi out of his musings. "Teach me all your techniques."

Naruto only arched an eye brow at the duck asses demand, as Tsunami only glared at the raven haired emo. Meanwhile, Sakura was getting all too familiar flash backs of her former classmate. At least now, since the blonde was recognized as a shinobi of Konoha, the civilian council had no power over him. Strangely enough, this gave the pinkette a sense of relief.

"No." Naruto simply replied.

"Dobe, I demand that you give me those techniques." Sasuke stated as he stomped towards the blonde, some what reminding Tsunami of a toddler throwing a tantrum. "So I can avenge my clan!"

"You're not strong enough." The blonde simply replied before his attention back to the kitchen, intent on getting something to eat.

"Mah, mah. You should help your team mates." Kakashi offered as he dismissively waved his hand. Earning a slight glare from his pink haired student.

Slowly, Naruto turned to face his supposed sensei.

"Tell me, Taida-sensei." The blonde began. "Would you be so helpful if Sakura-san or myself wanted to learn one of his techniques?"

"Those are clan techniques, Naruto." The masked jonin gave a lazy smile. "Besides, you don't have the elemental affinity for it."

"First off, katon jutsu's are not a Uchiha clan technique." Naruto pointed out, earning a scowl from the silver haired jonin. "Secondly, you don't even know what my affinities are. And lastly, your precious Uchiha can't learn my abilities anyways because they are from my blood line, so even his precious Sharingan will never be able to copy them."

Sasuke only scowled at the blonde before turning and stomping out of the house, once again reminding the dark blue-nette woman of a toddler throwing a fit when he couldn't get what he wanted. Kakashi similary looked upset, but at least composed himself far better.

Ignoring his sensei, Naruto dished himself a bowl of the stew Tsunami had prepared, and handed it to Sakura before dishing one for Tsunami and finally himself. Both woman gave their thanks as they took their seats around the table. Though it didn't go unnoticed that both girls had taken seats on either side of him.

"This is really good, Tsunami-chan." Naruto complimented. "You'll make some lucky man very happy one day."

The blonde gave her a subtle wink, causing her to blush a bit more.

"I can only hope I meet the one soon." She coyly replied. "Who knows, maybe I already have."

Meanwhile, Sakura frowned at the interaction between the two. She could tell that Tsunami was flirting with her blonde team mate, which caused a sense of jealousy to flare up within her. As much as she wanted to lash out at the blonde, she couldn't fault him for being polite to the woman.

"Do you have anything else for us to train, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura decided to ask. Even though she already suspected that the silver haired jonin had nothing for her or Naruto to continue to work on. Though he didn't show it, the blonde hanyou was also interested if the masked jonin had thought past the basic tree walking exercise.

"To be honest, Sakura." The man began. "I didn't expect Naruto to be able to complete the tree walking exercise so quickly. So I have nothing for you at this moment."

"What the hell Taida-sensei!?" Sakura snapped, catching everyone at the table by surprise. Even Naruto. "Naruto-kun fought Zabuza on the water when he saved your ass, and you didn't think he could do tree walking!?"

Pushing up roughly from the table, the cherry blossom stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to the room she was residing in, leaving a shocked Tsunami, a speechless Naruto and an abashed Kakashi. An awkward silence filled the air as they finished up their lunch.

"Um Naruto-kun, would you like to accompany to the village so that I may pick up some things for tonight's dinner?" Tsunami asked, giving the blonde a subtle wink.

"I would love to, Tsunami-chan." The blonde smiled.

"Why don't you take Sasuke or Sakura instead or even myself, Tsunami-san?" Kakashi inquired, causing the woman in question to narrow her eyes slightly at the masked man.

"It's simple Kakashi-san." She replied, "Your student Sasuke is no where to be found, not good considering part of the job is to not only watch over my father, but also his family. His current actions is not setting a good example for your village's shinobi."

This caused the masked jonin to frown, though he could not deny her claim.

"As for Sakura, she seems to be rather upset and needs some time alone." She continued, though she had nothing against the pink haired girl. If she wasn't already planning on using this trip as an impromptu date with Naruto, she would have happily brought the cherry blossom along.

"And as for you, I would not trust myself alone with a pervert since all you do is read those smut books." Tsunami finished, prompting the masked jonin to flinch when she called him a pervert.

"Just give me a moment to let Sakura-san know. I fear she may worry." The blonde said, earning a smile from the dark blue haired woman. Kakashi wisely kept silent as he was still stunned but Sakura's out burst and the revelation that the clients daughter didn't trust him or Sasuke.

Naruto had quickly departed up the stairs and knocked on the door of the room that his pink haired team mate was staying in. Hearing a soft reply, he slowly opened the door and peeked in to see Sakura sitting on the futon, reading a copy of his first book.

"So, it's Naruto-kun now?" He teased, eliciting a blush from her.

"No, I was just…." she stammered, a little embarrassed.

"It's okay. I don't mind." Naruto smiled, putting her at ease. "If you want to call me Naruto-kun, go ahead. Okay, Sakura-chan?"

Hearing the -chan suffix at the end of her name caused her heart to flutter slightly. Not trusting her voice, she only nodded.

'_**Finally! He is calling us Sakura-chan!'**_ Inner gushed in pure bliss. _**'And here you were stressing out that you let it slip that you called him Naruto-kun!'**_

'_Okay, I admit it. It feels good to have someone who is cute actually acknowledge and complement me.'_

'_**Only cute?'**_ Inner smirked,

'_Fine, drop dead handsome, happy?' _Sakura mentally replied. _'Too bad he is already with Anko.'_

'_**Girl don't worry about that. I have a feeling that things will work out. So don't count him out just yet.'**_ Inner cryptically replied. _**'Trust me on this, I have a sixth sense for these kinds of things.'**_

"Good book?" He asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Um yeah, though I have already read it a couple times." The pinkette replied, shaking away her thoughts. "I want to get the second book, but it's always sold out."

Naruto only smirked as he reached into his jacket and activated a seal, producing a copy of his second book and handed it to Sakura, whom was completely shocked that her blonde team mate had a copy of the book, let alone it being brand new.

"I keep a few copies on hand for friends." He merely smiled. "Anko-chan loves this book series."

"Wait, how do you even have spare copies?" She asked as she looked up from the book. "Do you go and buy the books ahead of time?"

"Nah, nothing like that. I'll give you a hint though, it's right in front of you." The blonde hanyou smirked, waiting to see if she could figure it out.

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she contemplated the hidden meaning of his words. Flipping the book over, she looked over the cover once more until her eyes landed on the authors name.

'_N.U. Kitsune.'_ She furrowed her brow. Initially, she didn't think anything wrong with the name of the author. However, now something seemed off about it. Briefly, she allowed her eyes to wander up to the expecting face of Naruto.

'_Wait a second!'_ Her eyes widened. _'N.U. Kitsune. Naruto Uzumaki, The Shadow Fox!'_

"You-you're the author!?" She stammered, desperately hoping she was correct in her suspicion.

"Correct. I can see why you earned your spot for Kunoichi of the Year of our class. Able to figure it out with minimum resources to deduct from." He complimented the pinkette, earning him another blush from the girl. "Though, I do ask that you keep it a secret."

"I promise, Naruto-kun." She replied, tasting how his name with the affectionate suffix sounded on her lips. She liked it, as it felt natural for some reason. "But why hide your name?"

"Well, I am not well liked in the village. So anything with my name on it would automatically be taboo." He replied, causing the girl to frown. "It has to do with the S-ranked secret I mentioned earlier. Again, the hints are in front of you. If you figure it out, talk to me. Small loop hole with the law."

"Anyways, I wanted to let you know that I am going with Tsunami-chan into town." He smiled. "Relax and enjoy the book."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She smiled as she brought him into a hug. Surprising the blonde hanyou at the sudden show of affection. Smiling softly, he hugged her back before separating from her and leaving the room.

'_**You know you should have kissed him.'**_ Inner chastised. Causing Sakura to mentally scowl.

* * *

**With Naruto**

After leaving the house, Naruto quickly made two Shadow Clones and had them henge into himself and Tsunami, having them go into town whilst the real version went down the shoreline. Expertly avoiding any detection from Kakashi or Sasuke. As Naruto had sensed the two chakra signatures shortly after they had departed. A quick distraction had left the two unaware of the switch.

"I am beginning to wonder which one of you is the higher ranked shinobi on the team." Tsunami chuckled as the two continued their private trek down the shoreline.

"Officially, Kakashi is." The blonde snickered. "Skill wise, I am unsure. I am positive like me, Kakashi is hiding most of his true skill."

"Very modest of you, Naruto-kun."

"Well, I don't want to have an inflated ego like duck ass." Naruto replied, earning another chuckle from his date at his nick name for the last Uchiha. "Besides, over confidence is the number one cause of death for a shinobi."

As they continued to walk, the sound of running water could be heard from a short distance away. Rounding the corner, the two saw a beautiful water fall that just barely hid a cave behind it. A pathway along the edge, just large enough to allow them through without soaking them with water. Smiling, Naruto led Tsunami along the path until they reached the cave.

"It's beautiful." Tsunami breathed as she looked around the interior.

"Tsunami-chan, I feel that if you really want to pursue anything with me, you should know everything about me." The blonde hanyou stated, suddenly turning serious. Prompting the woman to become worried. "Even if it may change how you feel about me."

"Naruto-kun, there is nothing you can say that will change how I feel about you." She reassured him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Nodding, Naruto took a deep breath before telling her everything about him. From the attacks he suffered in the village, to the fateful night he met Jashin-chan and was turned into a hanyou, his mission for the goddess, his status as a jinchuriki, the process of marking his mates, and about his other girls at home. Through it all, she sat and listened until he was finished. It was a tense few moments as Naruto awaited her verdict.

To his surprise, she started laughing.

"Naruto-kun, do you really think I would change my feelings for you because of this?" She asked, though didn't wait for an answer. "If anything, they have only grown. You are a strong man. Both physically and mentally to endure what you have and still show compassion and kindness to others."

"And if you would have me, I would love to be one of your mates." She finished with a smile.

"I would be honored, if you were to be one of my mates." He smiled, tears of happiness in his eyes. "Are you sure about this? Once you accept my mark, you will become a hanyou as well."

Receiving one last nod in confirmation, the blonde hanyou leaned in and bit down on her neck, causing her to gasp out in a mixture of pain and pleasure. As she felt the chakra course through her veins, she instinctively bit down on his neck. Sealing the deal so to speak, and officially become one of his mates as his mark took it's place at the base of her neck.

As she did so, she felt a power surge through her that she had never felt before. Feeling as if she could take out all of the mercenaries that Gato had in his private little army. Enamored with the feeling rushing through her body, she brought her blonde mate in for a deep kiss. The blonde hanyou didn't resist as he held her close and allowed her tongue to enter his mouth to battle with his own for dominance.

After a few moments, the two broke. Both panting and almost out of breath from the kiss they had shared, though they still bathed in each others presence as they held each other close.

"Welcome to the family, Tsunami-chan." Naruto smiled. Tsunami's response was to snuggle closer to him and bury her face into the crook of his neck, letting out a sigh of contentment.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

After a solid two hours, the two newly mated lovers made their way back home. Meeting up with Naruto's clones to retrieve what they had picked up to add to that nights dinner. To the two's amusement, both Kakashi and Sasuke had given up on tailing the two since it ended up being just the two shopping. Much to their disappointment. If only they knew.

During their time out, Naruto had learned a lot about Tsunami. The bluenette had opened up to him in a wide variety of areas. From her first introduction to Jashinism, to her first husband and Inari's father whom was also a Jashinist. Until the man began to fall for the lies that the cult had begun to spread.

The memory itself brought a sad frown to Tsunami's face as she recalled when he had come home one day excited and had explained his plans to take her and their son to the gathering of other cultists whom were planning on slaughtering a small village, in the name of Jashin. Appalled by this, Tsunami had tried to talk him out of it, citing that slaughtering innocents was not the will of Jashin. Though he wouldn't listen. In the end, she had been forced to kill her own husband to protect her faith and her son, eventually lying to her father, stating that her husband was killed by bandits.

She had also told him about Kaiza. How he had come into Inari's life as a father figure, even though Tsunami had kept him at arms length. Mostly due to the man being a devout worshiper of Kami. That would have been fine for the bluenette, if he didn't constantly spout of how they should round up every Jashinist and kill them in the name of Kami to cleanse the world. Those words had killed any potential romance between the two, even more so when she had put her foot down that he was not allowed to talk about religion in any capacity with her son.

"Thank you for accompanying me, Naruto-kun." Tsunami smiled as they entered the home.

"It was no problem, Tsunami-chan." The blonde smiled as he helped her unpack the groceries his clones had purchased.

As the two conversed, the rest of the occupants minus Sakura turned their attention to the two. Kakashi was still a little annoyed that the clients daughter didn't trust him or Sasuke. The raven haired emo was brooding on the couch, fuming that the blonde in question was making him look bad. Tazuna on the other hand had noticed a shift in behavior from his daughter, making him suspicious of the two. Though in a good way, as he hadn't seen her this happy in years.

"Dinner will be ready in a short while." The bluenette called out to the rest of the house hold.

An hour and a half later found all of the house hold sitting at the table. Sakura had joined the two in the kitchen nearly forty five minutes ago, giving Tsunami a hand with preparing dinner as she talked with the other woman about the book Naruto had given her. Which of course, prompted the blonde hanyou to give his new mate both copies of his current books, much to her delight.

"This is really good, Tsunami-san." Kakashi complimented, trying to strike up a conversation to break the awkward silence that hung over the dinner table.

"As much as I would like to take credit for tonight's dinner." Tsunami smiled. "Both Naruto-kun and Sakura-san helped, and the recipe is from Naruto-kun."

"Where did you learn to cook like this, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, impressed by the flavor of the meal. Of course this only prompted her Inner self to tell her how the blonde would make a wonderful husband.

"Well since it is well known we would be stuck doing D-rank missions, which are little more then glorified chores, I read up on a lot of practical skills that may be required while I was still in the academy." The blonde replied, impressing the pinkette further that he had thought that far ahead.

Sasuke only grunted in response, not caring if the loser could cook or not. Though he was curious of the change in the pinkette. Wondering why she began to use the '-kun' suffix with the blonde, which was usually reserved for himself. Not that he was jealous, but he did find it odd and began to question what has transpired between the two.

Meanwhile, Kakashi remained silent as he pondered a few things. Much like his favored student, he had noticed a change in his pink haired student and her sudden closeness to her blonde teammate. Not to mention said blondes closeness with the clients daughter. The masked jonin could only mentally sigh. It wasn't his problem if the blonde was being unfaithful to Anko. He had warned her that she needed to increase her standards.

If only the perverted cyclops knew.

"Why?" A voice sounded from the doorway to the dinning room, turning the occupants attention to a small boy, no older then eight.

"Why what?" Naruto asked as he looked up from his dinner to the boy.

"Why are you trying so hard?" The kid asked once more, a bit louder this time. "You're just going to die. Gato is too powerful."

"Pfft, I am a Uchiha elite and I will crush this Gato when I see him, as well as that eyebrow less freak and his little masked pet." Sasuke arrogantly proclaimed. "And I don't need any help either."

'_Well, Kakashi has done a great job stoking his ego.'_ Naruto thought to himself, earning an agreement from the kitsune girl.

Sakura could only frown at her raven haired team mates words. Now that her mind was focused and no longer obsessed with the last Uchiha, she could clearly see how the boy she had an obsessive crush on truly acted.

'_Did I really find this attractive, Inner?'_ She mentally asked, somewhat disgusted with her past self.

'_**Unfortunately so, just be glad that Naruto-kun broke you out of that fangirl shell you were in.'**_

Sakura only mentally nodded in agreement before turning her attention towards said blonde.

"Gato's strength is false." Naruto stated clearly. "He is a weak, pathetic man who hides behind money he stole to hire those stronger then him to do his bidding. Mark my words, he will die before we finish our mission."

The rest of Team 7 cocked an eye at the blondes words.

"Whatever, there are no such things as heroes." The kid continued. "They just get killed anyways."

"Oh I am not hero, Inari-san." The blonde replied. "I'm a champion."

Tsunami couldn't help but smile softly at her mates words hidden meaning.

Sighing, Naruto pushed himself up from the table and walked around where the young boy stood, kneeling down he placed a reassuring hand on the boys shoulder. During their talks, Naruto had learned why her son acted in such a way and knew it was hard on the young boy.

"I know you have lost someone precious to you, and that you believe that things can't get any worse for you." Naruto began. "Instead of looking at what you lost, look at what you still have. You have a loving mother and grandfather, where as there are those that have none. You have a home that shelters you. If anything, I envy you. I never had any of those things while growing up."

This caught Sakura's attention even more.

"You see, before my sixth birthday I had been attacked by the villagers more times then I care to count. Hospitalized hundreds of times. I even lost count how many times I was on the Shinigami's door step. All for something that was never within my control. It was during the last attempt on my life that I awakened my bloodline. I had very few precious people to look out for me."

The pinkette was shocked to hear this. Even her inner self was silent. She had known the boy had a hard childhood, as none of the villagers were ever silent of their feelings towards the boy. However, she had never thought it was this bad. A large part of her felt extremely guilty as she had been apart of those that had lashed out at him. Even if it was for an entirely different reason.

"However, it is for these few people that I hold dear that I continued to push on and become stronger. To make them proud. So never give up hope Inari-san." Naruto smiled, even though his eyes reflected nothing but pain and sadness at the memories. "I don't think Kaiza-san would want you to give up either."

By now, Inari was sniffling, trying to hold back his tears.

"And it's okay to cry." The blonde continued. "Showing emotions doesn't make you weak. It makes you human."

Inari only nodded in response before slowly moving away and departing up the stairs to his bedroom. No doubt the blonde hanyou had given the young child much to think and reflect upon. As Naruto stood up, he was engulfed in a hug by the boys mother, who had tears steaming down her eyes. Both from sorrow and happiness. Happiness for her mate being able to snap her son out of his funk. Sorrow, for having to re-imagine the suffer her lover had gone through years before.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." She whispered, though loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, before breaking the hug. "Ar-are you okay?"

Naruto only smiled and brought his hand up to wipe away the woman's tears, to which the bluenette unconsciously leaned into the support.

"I'll be fine." He reassured her. "I am just going to go for a walk."

Moving past the dark blue haired woman, he gave Sakura a reassuring pat on the shoulder as if to say he didn't blame her for anything before departing out the door into the night. Leaving behind two emotional women, a contemplative bridge builder, a scoffing emo and a frowning jonin.

"Loser probably made it all up to get sympathy." Sasuke commented finally, earning a glare from both Sakura and Tsunami.

"No Sasuke. Naruto has had a hard childhood." Kakashi sighed. "Though he may have over exaggerated how bad it was for the sake of the kid."

This only prompted Sakura to roll her eyes at the silver haired jonin. It seemed he didn't want to believe anything when it came to her blonde team mate. Meanwhile, Inner was ranting about how the masked pervert simply dismissed Naruto's tragic past. Tsunami though, wasn't as quiet.

"Then you do not know your student, Shinobi-san." She leveled her gaze at the man, causing him to shrink slightly. "There was pain and sadness in those eyes. If anything, we got the sugar coated version of what Naruto-kun has been through."

Kakashi only frowned, but said nothing further. A tiny voice in the back of his mind was warning him that if he tried to dismiss the woman's words, she would make him hurt in ways he never thought possible.

Sakura on the other hand was worried for the blonde. While she knew he could more then handle himself in the face of danger, she was deeply worried about his emotional state. She had debated with herself if she should follow him and offer him some sort of comfort and maybe apology for her actions in the past. However, her logical side won out in this instance. She knew that if the blonde didn't want to be found, then she wouldn't find him and probably only put herself at risk.

One by one, each person excused themselves from the table. Until only the pinkette remained. Still contemplating what she had learned about her blonde team mate. She was still wrapping her mind around just how bad the boy had it growing up. However, her mind clicked on to something he mentioned earlier.

"_And the fire, well; that's a bit more difficult to explain as it is an S-ranked secret in the village."_

She recalled him saying when asked about his elemental affinities. She narrowed her eyes in thought, as she began recalling all her recent conversations with the boy. Piecing together the clues, as it were and combining them with what he had revealed to the boy. The blondes numerous visits to the hospital, and if it was a result of attacks from the villagers themselves, she highly doubted the staff at the hospital would have treated him any better. Probably only do just enough to avoid any official action against them. This only prompted her to frown at that notion.

Her mind then went to the blondes books, of all things. Picking up her copy that he had given to her, she gazed over the cover once more, getting a sense of deja vu from earlier. Her eyes ghosting over the name he used once more. After a handful of seconds, it clicked in her mind.

'_Kitsune! Kitsune means fox!'_ She mentally exclaimed. _'14 years ago, the village was attacked by the Kyuubi, a giant nine tailed fox and Naruto-kun is 14, which means….'_

'_**Which means, the Fourth didn't kill it like we are told.'**_Inner supplied._**'Seeing as a massive beast made of nothing but chakra can't be killed, he did the next best thing and sealed the Kyuubi into someone else. A newborn baby.'**_

'_Naruto-kun must have been that baby.'_ Sakura continued. _'It would explain why he never had any parents, if the Kyuubi killed them, __and the way the villagers treated him.'_

'_**Those idiots can't tell the difference between a kunai and a scroll!'**_ Inner ranted.

'_We'll ask Naruto-kun about it tomorrow.'_ The pinkette decided. _'He did say if I figured it out to talk to him about it.'_

Content with his decision, the pinkette opened the book and continued reading. Ironically finding herself more and more attracted to the hero of the story.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that is chapter nine!

So Sakura has figured out that Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed inside him, though she doesn't know the details. I kind of wanted to show case her actually being intelligent, since she has broken her fan girl ways.

Now originally, I wanted to end this chapter with the beginning of the battle on the bridge, but I figured that this was the best place to end the chapter. That way, the next chapter can start off with Naruto meeting Haku where more surprises will be revealed!

As always, be sure to let me know what you think in the reviews!

And remember to vote!


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Notes**: And here we are again!

So last chapter, we got to see more of Sakura developing a crush on our blonde hanyou, and working out his biggest secret, well one of them at least. Tsunami becoming one of his official mates and of course the typical speech scene to Inari. Not to mention Kakashi and Sasuke being jerks.

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina(?), Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

This is the final list for the harem girls, and in alphabetical order. So it's easier to find your pick.

Still looking for more ideas on how our blonde hanyou can meet Shizuka, Hokato, and Natsuhi.

**AmbertheCat –** Thanks for your barrage of reviews! Here is more!

**Insanemaelstorm –** Glad you are enjoying it, and I am pleased to hear/read that you like how I am portraying Sakura.

**Brytiago –** We shall see soon enough, granted Naruto did challenge her to figure it out and left hints. There will be more lemons, though I think the next one will probably just be another one on one. However, a threesome is not out of the question for later chapters.

**CrimsonStarBlade – **I have entertained the idea of doing some Omake's, though the ones I have planned are more humor based. Though, I won't rule out doing a few accidental Sasuke deaths.

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 10

**The Next Morning**

Sun light filtered through the trees as birds began to greet the morning sun with their songs, exposing a lone individual in a pink kimono kneeling in the center of a meadow clearing in the forest, humming happily to themselves as they picked various plants and put them into a small basket. A sound from the persons right caught their attention, turning to see a young blonde also laying in the field with his eyes closed, breathing softly.

Slowly, the individual made their way towards where the prone blonde lay, gasping slightly as they recognized his face as one of the Konoha shinobi. Slowly reaching over, the person contemplated trying to strangle the boy first before shaking that notion away and instead gently shook him awake.

"You shouldn't sleep outside." They commented. "You could get severely sick."

Naruto only smirked as he sat up from his laying position.

"Guess I fell asleep while watching the stars last night." He lied.

In truth, after Naruto had left the house, he had wandered the town and nearby surroundings. Picking up more information on Gato and his supposed plans from the goons that just couldn't keep their mouths shut. It surprised him when he found out the fat greedy man planned to betray Zabuza and kill him, while taking the swordsmen apprentice as his personal sex slave.

"So, what are you doing out here, miss?" He politely inquired.

"I was picking healing herbs for a friend that recently got sick." She smiled.

"They must mean a lot to you if you go out of your way like this." Naruto commented with a smile.

"I owe him everything." She simply replied.

"Sorry, where are my manners." The blonde chuckled. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Haku." The girl giggled.

"Need any help picking herbs for your friend?" The blonde offered.

Haku thought for a moment. If she declined, he may be suspicious. Though she didn't dismiss the possibility of him sabotaging the herbs to harm Zabuza further. Deciding it would be best to avoid any suspicion on her, she reluctantly accepted the blondes help.

"So, what herbs do you need?" He asked as the blonde hanyou began rummaging through the grass and flowers. "You said he was sick, does he need herbs for his stomach and fever?"

"Well, he kind of got a nasty cut." She replied cryptically, not wanting to give too much away.

"Ah, I see." Was all Naruto replied with.

However, if the girl would have looked closer, she would have seen that Naruto had already been collecting herbs specifically for open wounds. Walking over, he dropped what he had collected so far into the basket next to her. Flicking his fingers slightly, Haku never noticed the black droplets stain her kimono.

"So you're a shinobi then, Naruto-san?" Haku inquired, trying to strike up a conversation as they collected the herbs.

"I am." He smiled, before turning to her. "But then again, you already knew that. Didn't you Hunter-san?"

Haku could only gasp in surprise, before turning to the blonde with a horrified look on her face, preparing herself for the worst.

"Ho-how did you know?" She asked, fear evident in her voice.

"Do not fear." He gave her a warm smile. "I am not here to fight you or even sabotage Zabuza-san's recovery. If anything, I want him one hundred percent for our next spar."

"And as to how I know." He smirked, while pointing towards his nose. "I recognized your scent when you saved Zabuza-san from Taida-sensei."

Haku was a little taken aback by the blondes warmness towards her. Though how he spoke of his sensei intrigued her.

"Taida-sensei?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow at the nickname given to the blondes sensei.

"Yeah, I call him that because he is lazy, like a sloth." Naruto explained with a grin as he handed the girl some more herbs, allowing her to check them over to make sure they were the correct ones, before dumping them into the basket. "And as you saw in the battle, he heavily favors the Uchiha."

"Not much of a sensei then." Haku frowned, slowly finding herself more at ease around the Konoha shinobi. "If he isn't teaching you anything, how are you skilled enough to go head on with Zabuza-sama?"

"My hime's helped me train back home." He smiled fondly as he thought about his girls back in Konoha. "Not to mention. I had what you may call a divine intervention."

The last bit caused the girl to frown in confusion.

"What do you mean, divine intervention?"

"That's a secret." He merely smiled, causing her to frown more. "However, maybe in the future I will tell you."

"I believe I have enough herbs for Zabuza's treatment." Haku stated, as she noted the basket was full. "Thank you for your help, Naruto-san."

"Not a problem, Haku-san." The blonde smiled once more, causing her to blush slightly. "Give Zabuza-san my regards."

Naruto watched as Haku disappeared into the trees, a small smile at his face. He had to admit, she was cute. Furthermore, she was skilled. Since she was able to conceal herself from Kakashi when she had retrieved Zabuza. Something he greatly respected in a kunoichi.

Closing his eyes, the blonde hanyou sunk into the shadows, disappearing entirely.

* * *

**Zabuza's Hideout**

Haku was in a bit of a daze, reliving the past few moments she had spent with the blonde shinobi. Feeling her face heat up as she remembered how cute he looked. Not to mention the compassion he had shown. He had known she was an enemy, yet he still helped her. This was a quality Haku looked for in a person. She had seen that the blonde was strong, and now she had seen that he was also compassionate, even towards a known enemy.

She couldn't help but smile about that, before her eyes widened in realization. She had a crush on the blonde shinobi.

"What's go you in such a good mood?" Zabuza's voice broke her out of her thoughts, causing her to jump slightly. Prompting the 'Demon of the Mist' to mentally chuckle at her antics, even though he remained stoic outside.

"No-nothing Zabuza-sama!" Haku squeaked out, cursing herself for dropping her guard.

"I merely had a run in with one of the Konoha shinobi while I was out." She replied, after composing herself. "It was the blonde you fought."

"You weren't followed were you?" He narrowed his eyes.

"No, she wasn't followed, but I did mark her." A voice stated from the shadows.

The two were quickly on guard as they turned their attention to the dark corner the voice had come from. Only to see the blonde shinobi emerging from the shadows. His cerulean blue eyes glowing in the darkness that shadowed his face, giving them an ominous appearance.

"Relax Zabuza-san." The blonde smiled as he fully stepped out of the shadows. "As I told Haku-san, I am not here to fight. So you can put the kunai away."

After a handful of seconds in silence, Zabuza relented and removed his hand from the kunai he had hidden under the blankets. Seeing that the larger man relaxed, Naruto brought up a chair and sat a comfortable distance away, showing that he truly meant no harm to them.

"So what do you want, gaki?" Zabuza asked, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"Well, I over heard a bit of information that is of some importance to yourself, and Haku-san." The blonde stated.

"Why didn't you just tell me earlier?" Haku asked, a little upset that she had been marked so easily by the boy.

"You're right, I could have. But I really wanted to see how Zabuza-san was doing." He smiled. "Also, I couldn't resist seeing your beautiful face again."

This last part caused the girl to blush and the large man to scowl.

"And what information would that be, gaki?"

"Oh, just that Gato is planning on betraying you." Naruto simply stated, causing the other twos eyes to widen in shock. "I over heard a few of this petty thugs talking about it in town last night."

"And just how does he plan to do that?" Zabuza asked. "The fat pig knows even his two body guards are no match against Haku, let alone me."

"I guess the plan is, after you fight my team, regardless who wins, Gato will send his army of thugs in to finish off who ever is left." The blonde informed the swordsmen. "With everyone tired from the battle, it wouldn't take much for the numbers to over run us. Their orders are to kill all the men, and take the women alive. From the gossip of the thugs in town, Gato has laid claim to Haku-san."

These words caused Zabuza's eyes to narrow in anger. There was not a doubt that the blonde kid before him was telling the truth. It was right up Gato's ally to turn his back on the hired help. Not to mention, the fat man had already threatened Haku in front of him.

"Information isn't free in our line of work, Gaki." Zabuza stated as he turned his attention back towards the blonde. "What's the price?"

"You're right. I will be asking something in return." Naruto stated. "I understand it is a big price to ask, but I request that I am the one to end Gato's life."

Zabuza could only stare at the blonde in shock. He had expected the kid to ask for money, his sword, or even a kiss from Haku with the way he had flirted with her earlier. But to be the one to deliver the death blow, was not something he expected.

"I know you want to be the one to do it, but let's just say that someone I respect and care has requested me to end his life." Naruto gave a brief explanation. "In return, I will fight you with everything I got in our next spar. How does that sound, Zabuza-san?"

"What do you mean everything you got?"

"Clearly you knew I was holding back in our last fight." The blonde gave a knowing smirk. "Even more, the sword isn't my preferred weapon."

"And what is your preferred weapon?" Zabuza asked, clearly intrigued.

"Now that would be telling, Zabuza-san." Naruto grinned, earning a chuckle from the large swordsman.

"I like you gaki. You got yourself a deal, but you better give me a damn good fight."

"I suppose I should get back to my team before they begin to wonder where I am." The blonde sighed as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. Fluidly moving over to where Haku stood, he gently took her hand and kissed her knuckles, causing the girl to blush further. "I look forward to seeing you again."

This only caused the large man to glare at the blonde once more. Smirking, Naruto melded into the shadows. Shaking his head, Zabuza turned to say something to Haku only to freeze when he saw the love struck look in her eyes and her face flushed, as she stared at where the blonde boy once stood.

'_I did not sign up for this.'_ He grumbled to himself.

* * *

**With Naruto**

Having left Zabuza and Haku to contemplate what he had informed them of, Naruto emerged from the shadows just outside the bridge builders home. Not sensing the lazy jonin or the emo anywhere near the house. Though he could sense his other team mate upstairs. He knew that he first had to talk with Tsunami to allay her worries of where he was all night, and then Sakura. He could care less about Kakashi or the emo duck ass.

As he entered the home, he could see his newly marked mate in the kitchen. Smiling he got behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, causing her to sigh in contentment as she leaned back into his embrace. Allowing him to kiss along her neck.

"I was worried about you last night, Naru-kun." Tsunami whispered, concern evident in her voice. Turning slowly to face her lover and leaned in to give him a deep kiss, breaking it a few seconds later.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, Tsu-chan." He smiled. "I was merely scouting for more information last night."

"Did you find anything more?"

"I did." He replied with a grin, thinking back on his talk with the two earlier. "Turns out, Gato is planning to betray his hired help. I even managed to track down the two he hired and warned them of the mans immanent betrayal."

This caused Tsunami to gasp in surprise.

"Though I do ask that you keep this quiet from Taida-sensei and his emo butt buddy."

This of course prompted the woman to chuckle. "I promise, not a word."

"Speaking of the two, I take it that they are with your father at the bridge?" The blonde asked.

Tsunami nodded in response. "Yes, Kakashi requested that Sakura stay behind."

"Meaning he is probably focusing on training the Uchiha again." Naruto sighed. "I guess I better see if there is anything I can help Sakura-chan with."

"Alright Naruto-kun." She smiled as she turned back to the dishes she was washing prior. "Lunch will be ready in a few hours."

"Looking forward to your cooking, Tsunami-chan."

Giving her one last kiss, the blonde disappeared upstairs and knocked on the door of the room that Sakura was staying in. Hearing a confirmation to enter, he opened the door and greeted the pinkette.

"Morning, Sakura-chan." He smiled.

As he spoke, he could see a mixture of emotions raging through the pinkettes emerald colored eyes. Everything from worry to anger and even regret.

"I apologize if I made you worry last night, I just needed to go check up on a few things." He continued.

Silence hung in the air between the two as Sakura was debating how she should approach what she had discovered the previous night. With a little encouragement from her inner self, the pinkette took a deep breath before looking at her blonde team mate.

"Naruto-kun." She began, prompting the boy to shut the door behind him. "I am not sure how to say this, so I will be blunt. The Kyuubi is sealed inside you, isn't it."

Naruto stood there gaping. He had to be honest, she was rather blunt.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" He asked after he composed himself.

"Well, after what you told Inari-san about your childhood." She began, guilt laced in her voice. "I began thinking back of what we spoke about when you listed what elemental affinities you have. You said your fire affinity was due to an S-rank secret. With that and what you told Inari-san, and your age, I came to the conclusion that you were born around the time the Kyuubi attacked and that the Yondaime was forced to seal the kyuubi within you, since you can't kill pure chakra. Not to mention your nickname, The Shadow Fox."

"Very astute Sakura-chan." Naruto praised the cherry blossom, causing her to visibly blush. Still not familiar with actually being complimented. "And you are correct. The Kyuubi is sealed with in me."

Naruto lifts up his shirt, causing her to blush even more at the sight of his abs, though she does notice the seal on his stomach.

"This is the seal that keeps the kyuubi sealed within me." He continues, before letting his shirt drop, much to her disappointment.

"Have you ever met with him?" She asked, a little curious if the kyuubi and Naruto had the same form of interaction as she and her inner self did.

"Yes, I first met her after an attack on my sixth birthday that nearly killed me." Naruto replied after a handful of seconds.

"Wait, her!?" Sakura blinked in confusion.

"Yup, the most power of all the tailed beasts is a woman." The blonde chuckled. "She saved my life that night and healed my wounds that would have killed anyone else. For that, I am thankful."

"That-that doesn't line up with what we were told in the academy." The pinkette frowned. "We were told that the kyuubi was an evil beast that only wanted to destroy, but you're saying h-she saved your life."

Naruto sighs and lowers himself into a squatting position.

"One thing I have learned while talking with her, is that there are as many sides to a story as there are people involved." Naruto states, picking his words carefully as he didn't want to reveal who his parents were. "From what she has told me of the attack, she was comfortable in her previous jinchuriki when she was violently ripped from her former host and put under a powerful genjutsu."

"So, the kyuubi was forced to attack the village then?"

"Yes." The blonde answered, looking down at the floor. "Though I do not know by who."

It was a lie, as he knew full well who had controlled Ahri into attacking the village. However, he lacked the means to fully track down the masked man who was the cause of everything.

"You now know more about me then almost anyone else, Sakura-chan." Naruto broke the pinkette out of her musing. "I will understand if you want to distance yourself…."

He didn't get a chance to finish as a pink blur crushed him in a hug, which he returned.

"Naruto-kun, you should know by now that I am not as stupid as most of the villagers." She said, her voice soft as she fought to restrain her tears from falling. "I know the difference between a scroll and a kunai."

Naruto only smiled at her words. Thankful for her acceptance.

"Besides, you make it sound like the Kyuubi isn't that bad." She smiled as she stepped away from him, wiping the tears away from her eyes that were threatening to fall.

"Maybe sometime I can introduce you." He smiled. "I think you two would get along great."

Sakura nodded in response.

"So what did you do last night after you left?" She asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I went scouting for more information about Gato and his operations." He replied. "From what I found out, Gato plans on killing all of us when we fight Zabuza next time. And…."

"And what?"

"Gato plans to capture you and any other female as his personal sex slaves." He finished, a dark look in his eyes. "I will not let that happen."

Silence hung between the two for a moment, before the pinkette broke the pregnant pause.

"Kakashi took Sasuke to the bridge." Sakura said. "He told me to stay here to watch the house."

"Meaning he is giving the Uchiha private training." Naruto sighed once more. "How is your training going with the scrolls I gave you?"

"I've been working on them." The pink haired girl smiled as she produced the scrolls he had given her the previous day. "I've been studying the more advanced Suiton and Doton techniques."

"I'm sure you'll get them down in no time." The blonde smiled. "Why don't we go down to the shore and spare. I'll leave a few Shadow Clones to keep watch."

Sakura nodded, a little excited to try out the new jutsu's she had been reading up on. Grabbing the scrolls, she took off after the blonde hanyou. Looking forward to a morning of sparing. She watched as Naruto created four Shadow Clones to watch over the house, bidding Tsunami a short farewell, the two made their way to the shore line a short distance away from the house.

This is where the two spared for the next few hours. With Sakura attacking with her Suiton jutsu's and defending with her Doton against Naruto's Shadow abilities, as well as his Futon and Raiton jutsu's. Which was really challenging for the pinkette. As the blondes Raiton attacks would tear through her Doton defenses.

What had surprised her, was how his futon abilities would redirect some of her suiton attacks. However, she pushed forward and adapted to his fighting style. Opting to use indirect attacks, instead of direct attacks to throw off his wind abilities.

It had come to a surprise to the two of them, that despite training and sparing with one another for the past four hours, they had still finished before Kakashi and Sasuke returned from the bridge. Fortunately, the lazy jonin did not inquire about where the blonde had disappeared to last night, and the hanyou gave no report of what he had learned of Gato's plan.

* * *

**One Week Later**

The following week had passed rather uneventful. If anything, it had settled into a pattern. Kakashi would always take Sasuke aside for training, leaving Naruto and Sakura to fend for themselves. By now, the pinkette didn't even look to the masked jonin for training. Instead, she sought out her blonde team mate, whom in her eyes had become her unofficial sensei, in a way.

As such, they had fallen into a simple routine. While the lazy jonin was with the Uchiha, Naruto would create a handful of Shadow Clones to watch over either the bridge builder and bridge, or Tsunami and the house, depending where they were at the time; before the cherry blossom and hanyou would find themselves a secluded section along the shore line to train further. Also, while they were with Tazuna at the bridge, Naruto would create a couple dozen Shadow Clones to aid in the construction, since one of the skills he picked up during his academy years was masonry.

Due to these training sessions with the blonde, Sakura's skill in her elemental jutsu's had increased rapidly. To the point that she could effortlessly perform some of the B-rank jutsu's that were in the scrolls she had been given. On top of her elemental training, she had followed Naruto's advice and kept having a few shadow clones of her own continue with tree and water walking to further increase her chakra control and expand her own reserves even further.

During this time, the blonde hanyou had divided his attention between helping Sakura train, watching over the bridge builder and his family, spending time Tsunami, and finally splitting his free time between working on the next book for his series and researching the seal that kept Ahri contained within him. He knew that at his current level in fuinjutsu, he couldn't hope to fully free her. Though he was working on a theory to allow her to take control of one of his Shadow Clones and have some form of freedom.

This of course caused never ending excitement in the kitsune girl, as she made various plans of what she could do out in the physical world. All of them including glomping, groping, and pouncing all over her blonde host. Naruto himself, was fairly close to getting comfortable to test out the theory. He had checked, double checked, and even triple checked his notes and cross referenced them with the books he had brought with him. Not wanting to take any chance, as both of their lives are on the line if something were to go wrong.

'_I know you are eager to try this Ahri-chan, but I think it would be best if we wait until we are back in the village.'_ Naruto mentally spoke to the kitsune girl. _'That way we can have Anko-chan, Yugao-chan, and even Hinata-chan not only watch to make sure everything works, but so you can meet them as well.'_

'_**I understand, Naruto-kun.'**_ Ahri replied. _**'At least I should be in my human form when we attempt this.'**_

'_And if my calculations are correct, after I make the modifications to the seal, you should be able to spawn a shadow clone at any time you want.'_ The blonde stated. _'Though for our safety, let's only use it in private or if I am severe danger and need the help.'_

Ahri mentally agreed. The last thing they needed was to cause a panic in the village that she could get out of the seal. Even if she would still be tethered to her host. Still, knowing the villagers they wouldn't understand that and lash out in fear and anger. Worst yet, there would be very little Hiruzen would be able to do. Still, being able to spend time with the blonde outside of the seal was worth the precautions.

It was now nearing the end of the week. By the blondes estimates, Zabuza should be fully healed and making his move soon. However, there was an unsettling feeling in his stomach. He knew that something bad was going to happen. But to who and where?

It didn't help that Kakashi had already instructed that all of them would be guarding the bridge tomorrow, thus leaving the house and Tsunami and Inari vulnerable. Naruto didn't like that at all, and was thinking of a way to hang back a little to watch over them. Partially because it was the logical thing to do, and mostly because he was very protective over his mates.

It would seem like the thing that the fat bastard would do. While everyone was out, kidnap Tsunami or even Inari to give him an advantage over them in the form of a hostage. Not to mention, Naruto already knew what the sleazy bastard had planned for the girls. The mere thought of it just made his blood boil. He was so going to enjoy killing Gato.

After much deliberation, Naruto had concocted a plan that he would disappear once again tonight, so he could stay behind and ensure the house was secure before joining the others on the bridge. He had enough faith in Kakashi's abilities to keep things under control until he got there. Not to mention, Sakura had grown by leaps and bounds during their training sessions.

With his mind made up, he quietly informed Tsunami and even Sakura of his plan. Both women saw the logic in it, and the pinkette even ensured him that she would watch over the bridge builder while they were on the bridge.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Just as he had planned, Naruto had disappeared the night prior. Much to the frustration of Kakashi, as the jonin had intended for all of his team to be at the bridge, as the silver haired shinobi expected Zabuza and the false hunter-nin to show up today, based off a hunch he had. Still, with Naruto not around he was forced to just take the others to the bridge with him, asking Tsunami that when she sees him, to send him to the bridge immediately.

Shortly after Kakashi and the rest of Team 7 left, Naruto emerged from the shadows. Once again wrapping his arms around the bluenette woman.

"I'll stick around for a few hours." He told her. "If nothing happens by then, I am going to have you and Inari hide within my Shadow Space, to keep you both safe."

"Do you really think that Gato will target the house?" Tsunami asked, concerned. "He hasn't bothered us before."

"I would be surprised if he doesn't." Naruto remarked. "With the bridge nearing it's completion, your father is a big threat to Gato's operation. If he can't get rid of your father, he will target the family instead."

However, he gently took hold of her chin to have her look him in the eyes. Kissing her tenderly.

"I will not let that happen." He vowed.

Tsunami smiled and kissed him once more. Breaking apart just as Inari ran into the kitchen, oblivious to his mothers romantic actions towards the blonde.

"Kaa-chan! Naruto-nii!" The boy exclaimed, clearly shaken up about something. "There are two strange men coming towards the house with swords!"

"Inari-kun, I want you to hide in the basement." His mother instructed him, earning a nod from Naruto. "Do not come out until I tell you to, understand?"

Inari shook his head in fear. Not only from the men approaching the house, but of the rare tone his mother had used that promised him something bad should he disobey this order for any reason. Quickly he ran to the basement door and shut it behind him, hearing the door lock. In a word, the boy was frightened. For him, for his mother, and for his family. However, the mere prescience of Naruto had helped to allay many of his fears.

"Shall we?" Naruto asked with a smirk. He had a feeling that the woman had a plan, if she wasn't hiding with her son.

"I can't wait to show them my surprise." She stated, almost as if to confirm the blondes suspicions.

Naruto had sunk into the shadows, as Tsunami exited the door to greet the two dishonored samurai that usually acted as body guards for Gato. The two didn't know what to make of the situation, as something felt off about the woman before them. She clearly knew they had come for her, so why did she come out into the open?

Shaking off those thoughts, the taller one smirked as the woman approached him.

"Kami must be smiling upon us if he is making our target so easy to capture." Waraji stated with a smug grin, earning a chuckle from his partner. "Now, why don't you come with us all nice and quiet like and maybe we won't kill your son."

Tsunami merely smiled, eerily, as she continued to approach the larger of the two. Meanwhile, Zori had moved past them and prepared to entire the house to search for the boy. This prompted Tsunami to turn and scowl at the smaller of the two, only for Waraji to grab hold of her and hold her tight against him so she couldn't escape. Her back to his chest.

However, instead of shock or fear, she merely chuckled as a sadistic glint appeared in her eyes, throwing the larger man off guard. Unknown to him, he had positioned her right where she wanted to be. Before he could react, her hand snapped to his katana sword on his left side. Quickly drawing it out, she plunged the blade into her own abdomen, allowing the blade to pass right through her and into the man behind her.

Zori had turned to see his partner spitting up blood as the woman had impaled herself to injure the larger man. Though, before he could move a shadow like blade shot up from the ground beneath him. Cutting him directly in half. The last thing the bluish-white haired man saw was a blonde rising up from the shadows in front of him. Just before his vision split in two, as both halves of his body separated, leaving a bloody mess in front of the door.

Naruto then turned back towards where Tsunami was.

After impaling herself, and the man behind her. Tsunami pulled the sword out of her body, allowing her own blood to splatter onto the ground, tossing the sword to the side. A sadistic grin spread across her face as she reached under her blouse and produced a ritualistic stake. Giving the man a quick slash to acquire his blood onto the stake, the blunette then proceeded to draw Jashin's symbol on the ground with her own blood, much to the horror of Waraji.

Licking the blood off the tip of the stake, her body began to transform. Her skin turning black, with white, bone like designs spreading across her body, making it appear like a skeleton had been painted over her body. Her eyes turning blood red, as she gazed at her victim before her.

"You are vile and corrupt." Tsunami stated with venom. "For your sins, your soul shall be sacrificed to Jashin-sama!"

Waraji's eyes widened as he heard the goddesses name, though he had no time to react as the woman drove the stake into her own leg, causing him to collapse as the wound appeared on his own body. She then repeated the same process to her other leg, effectively crippling the shamed samurai from escaping.

Slowly, she drew cuts all over her body. Watching as they appeared on his. Each time, the mans cries erupted from his throat. This process continued for almost ten minutes before she drove the stake through her own chest, killing the man and finishing the ritual. Delivering the mans soul to Jashin.

As the man died, Tsunami's body returned to it's normal appearance. All of the wounds she had inflicted on herself healing themselves instantly. Turning, she smiled to her blonde mate who had a look of awe as this was the first time Naruto had witnessed a jashinist sacrifice someone. Though he was ware of the practice.

"Normally I like to drag out their suffering longer." She sheepishly admitted. "But, I don't want to risk Inari-kun knowing just yet."

"It was still a breath taking sight to see." Naruto commented with a smile as he approached the woman. "Why don't you get cleaned up. I need to get to the bridge."

Tsunami nodded, then kissing the blonde good bye, watching as he took off towards where her father and the rest of Team 7 were.

* * *

**Battle of the Bridge**

Sakura shivered as she heard the sounds of screams in the distance. These were the screams of someone in severe pain, however her gut instinct told her that it wasn't Naruto. That the blonde had been correct and someone had attempted to attack the house. Once again, showing her that he had far better leadership qualities then her supposed sensei who had wanted to leave the house undefended.

'_**Glad we followed Naruto-kun's idea.'**_ Inner spoke up, though also keeping her own senses aware to pick up anything her outer self may have missed.

'_Yeah, what the hell was Taida-sensei thinking, leaving the family unprotected?'_ Sakura mentally replied as she watched the two battles in front of her.

Kakashi seemed to be holding his own against the large swordsmen. Though it was becoming evident that the masked jonins previous tricks were not working on Zabuza this time. This of course caused Sakura to worry. If Kakashi was killed, she highly doubted she could hold off the swordsman for very long. She only hoped that Naruto got here soon.

Turning her attention to the second battle, she watched as her former crush did a very good imitation of a pin cushion as dozens of senbons were sticking out of his body. She wanted to feel sorry for him, but the Uchiha's own arrogance had landed him in his current predicament. In one of the masked jonins better moments, he had instructed Sakura to back Sasuke up against the masked shinobi. Only for the raven haired emo to state he didn't need any help from a pathetic loser.

Kakashi merely relented, instructing the cherry blossom to protect the client. So here she was, watching the Uchiha elite get an extreme acupuncture treatment. Suddenly, she felt a pull and before she could react, pain shot through her body as she found herself in the ice dome that the masked shinobi had made, whilst Sasuke was where she once was, to the shock of Tazuna. Her vision slowly fading as coldness flooded her body.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" An enraged Naruto shouted.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** Well, Sasuke is a jerk!

I know, evil cliff hanger. So what did everything think? Did you like Tsunami sacrificing Waraji to Jashin? Or how about the twist at the end when Sasuke switched places with Sakura so she could take a severe, possibly fatal blow instead of him.

This was something I had wanted to do since I started this story. If it isn't obvious, this is Sakura's wake up call as to what kind of person Sasuke is. I have seen a lot of stories tease of him thinking of doing it, but when I began writing this, I had yet to come across a story where he actually did it. Not saying there aren't any stories out there where he did, just that I have not come across them.

Anyways, poll is still up, so be sure to vote.

As always, leave your thoughts, suggestions, and comments in the reviews!


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors Notes:** So, let's recap. We have Sakura severely wounded after being switched with Sasuke to take a likely fatal blow in his place. Sasuke is all smug, thinking that everyone is expendable to him. Lastly, we have one pissed off hanyou who had just witnessed the entire thing.

Poll is still up, so be sure to vote!

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina(?), Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

**CrimsonStarBlade –** Sadly, Naruto will not be able to slip a seal onto Kakashi. For plot purposes, I need the lazy sensei to still play favorites for a bit. As for Naruto, I am coming up with a 'Shadow Beast' form he will be able to use. Also, just like in the series, he will learn a Sage Mode, though it will be from the Snake clan, rather then the toads.

**3headed-dragon –** Glad you enjoyed it. Just be sure to make Tsunami a ghoul in your story, and we'll call it even. ^^

**Squall321 –** Sadly, I can't kill Sasuke off just yet. He will continue to be a minor annoyance for our blonde hanyou until later in the story. Though, he will get some form of punishment before then. Mostly attacks to his ego.

**Insanemaelstorm –** Yup, any affection, and respect Sakura once held for Sasuke is now gone, completely. And I enjoyed writing Tsunami's part. I thought it would be nice to have her be something other then a damsel in distress.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Bijuu/Demon/Jashin/Jutsu's/Inner Sakura**

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 11

Naruto was livid.

He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. One moment, Sasuke was in the ice dome while Sakura protected the client, the next both had switched places. Now Sakura was lying prone inside the dome of ice mirrors, with countless senbons sticking out of her body. Meanwhile, he could see the smug look on the last Uchiha's face.

A swirl of black and dark red energy surrounded his body as his canines become more elongated. His finger nails turning more claw like, as they lengthened. Meanwhile, the whisker marks that defined his cheeks became more prominent, while his eyes became yellow and his pupils became slits. His coat bellowing from the gusts of wind his power was generating around his body.

The enraged hanyou wasted no time, as he jumped into the shadow below him, and came out from Tazuna's shadow, his fist cocked back. Landing a crushing blow onto the raven haired emo's head, causing the boys head to bounce off the concrete, knocking him completely unconcious. Still, it wasn't enough for Naruto. He wanted the Uchiha to scream in agony and bleed. He wanted to slake the ground wet with the emo's blood.

'_**Naruto-kun, you need to calm down!'**_ Ahri shouted from the back of his mind. As much as she wanted to see the arrogant prick get what he deserved, she knew it would only cause her host more problems then it was worth right now. _**'Leave a shadow clone or something and go check on Sakura-chan!'**_

Naruto debated this for a handful of seconds before allowing his shadow to detach and form into his **Dākukurōn (Dark Clone) **before dissipating into a black mist and reforming where Sakura was currently laying down. Haku was kneeling beside her, the hunter-nin mask discarded off to the side as she slowly worked to remove the senbons in the girls body.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun!." Haku cried, looking up at the blonde who had managed to reign in his fury, taking on his normal appearance once more. Around them, the ice dome she had made fell to pieces. "I-I didn't mean for…. I was aiming for…."

"How is she, Haku-chan?" He asked softly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder to show that he did not blame her for what had happened.

Taking in a few deep breaths, the ice user responded.

"Minor puncture injuries. I intended to use the same tactic as I did on Zabuza-sama."

Nodding, Naruto removed his jacket and rolled it up. Gently placing it under the pinkettes head to offer her more comfort. Haku could only blush at the sight of the blondes exposed muscles. Brushing some pink strands out of the prone girls face, Naruto stood up to his full height and cast his gaze over to the remaining battle between Kakashi and Zabuza.

"Do you know any Iryo-ninjutsu?" The blonde asked, earning a nod from the ice user. "Please heal her as much as you can."

Naruto then performed a seal, and had four more Shadow Clones poof into existence.

"Watch over them, no one is allowed to get close."

"Got it boss!" The four said in unison.

"Naruto-kun, what are you going to do?" Haku asked, a little concerned.

"I promised Zabuza-san a good fight, and I never break a promise." He smiled. "But first."

Manipulating his dark energy into a small blade, he held it to Haku's neck. "Do you surrender?"

"I surrender." She smiled. Understanding what he was doing.

Nodding, Naruto withdrew the blade and allowed it to dissipate into the wind. Slowly turning and making his way towards the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza.

* * *

**With Kakashi**

The lazy jonin was not having a good day. Not at all.

First, Naruto had disappeared the night before and had yet to return which had forced him to take the remainder of Team 7 to the bridge in preparation for when Zabuza would show up. How did he know the swordsman would arrive on this day? A man claiming to be have overheard Gato's thugs talking, had alerted the masked jonin that everything would happen today.

Not one to take any chances, he had planned to have his entire team here on the bridge. He knew there was a risk of leaving the bridge builders family unguarded, but had calculated it as a small chance that anything would happen. With the information he had from the client, Gato hadn't bothered them at their home and it appeared that the man didn't even know where they resided at.

A few hours after they had arrived at the bridge, Zabuza had made his appearance, along with the fake hunter-nin that had saved the swordsman during their previous engagement. It wasn't missed by Kakashi that the masked individual seemed to be a bit disappointed, judging by their body language, after they had looked around at those present on the bridge.

Quickly, he had instructed Sasuke and Sakura to handle the masked shinobi, though the Uchiha had stated he didn't need any help. Especially from a weak and talent-less loser. So instead, he had Sakura watch over the client whilst Sasuke would handle the masked individual.

At first, it appeared that the two were on even footing in terms of speed and strength. However, that had quickly went south as soon as the masked shinobi summoned their ice mirror dome. Through the reflections in the ice panels, the masked individual could move at insane speeds. Even worse for the Uchiha was that the ice repelled his fire jutsu's, making it so that the boy couldn't melt them.

Kakashi had seen this while he battled the Zabuza. He knew he had to finish the swordsman quickly so he could aid his student. Still, the swordsman was not making it easy on him. None of the tricks and mind games he had used last time was working on the missing-nin. When Zabuza had used his Hidden Mist jutsu, Kakashi had summoned a pack of dogs and had attempted to corner the swordsman and hopefully restrain him long enough to kill or at least incapacitate him.

That had not worked as planned. Zabuza had cut down the dogs as they attempted to corner him in the mist. To make matters worse, Kakashi was running out of chakra from using his lone Sharingan eye too much. His body was also on the verge of giving out, due to blocking, evading, and countering the large swordsman. Various cuts could be seen on his body, all in non vital areas, to show for his efforts in attempting to defeat Zabuza.

'_Where the hell is Naruto!?'_ Kakashi angrily thought to himself.

"You know Copy Cat Kakashi,' Zabuza smirked. "That blonde gaki gave me a better fight then you have so far."

The silver haired jonin only frowned at that. Taking a chance to look how Sasuke was doing, he saw something that had made his blood run cold. Sakura was now lying in the center of where the masked shinobi's dome was. Turning his gaze to where the girl once was, he saw Naruto deliver a skull crushing blow to the Uchiha's head, knocking the boy unconcious.

"Oh, he is pissed." Zabuza laughed, causing Kakashi to scowl. _'And I have a good idea as to why the gaki is pissed off.'_

Unlike the lazy jonin in front of him. Zabuza had seen the switch the Uchiha had made, and it absolutely disgusted the man. Sure, he had killed for money before, but he had never betrayed an ally like that. It was dishonorable and cowardly.

The two men watched as Naruto made his way over. Zabuza was getting excited, as he was about to get the best fight of his life. Whilst Kakashi was glaring at the boy. For not being around when he should have been, and for attacking Sasuke.

"Where the hell have you been, Naruto!?" He asked heatedly.

"I stayed behind to watch over the house." The blonde shrugged.

"I gave you explicit orders that we were all to be here at the bridge." The jonin seethed, angry that the blonde genin had disobeyed the orders he had given.

"I recognize that you gave an order." Naruto started with a grin. "But given as it was a stupid ass order, I had elected to ignore it. And you're welcome for that, because shortly after you left Gato's bitch boys showed up to kidnap, possible rape, and murder Tsunami-chan."

This bit of information had caused Zabuza to scowl, and Kakashi to frown.

"Anyways, Zabuza-san." The blonde then turned to the larger swordsman. "I hope you are not too tired, I did promise you an all out fight after all."

"That you did gaki." The swordsman stated as he readied his blade. "Don't hold back this time."

Kakashi only narrowed his eyes at the interaction between the two. It was far to friendly for the masked jonin's liking.

"Naruto, what are you thinking?" The silver haired man stated as he struggled to stand fully once more. "You can't take on Zabuza alone."

"Your confidence in me is so aspiring, Taida-sensei." The blonde remarked, earning a chuckle from the swordsman. "Now then, Zabuza-san, shall we?"

Naruto snapped his hand forward in a flicking motion, summoning his double bladed shadow scythe in his hand. Both men were shocked at the weapon. It was uncommon for one to use a scythe as a weapon, as they were extremely difficult to master compared to other weapons. Gripping the weapon with both hands, the blonde smirked.

"Ready?"

"Bring it gaki!"

Without warning the two kicked off the ground towards each other. It was clear to the Kiri swordsman that this fight was going to be vastly different from his prior engagement with the blonde. As Zabuza brought his large blade down with a diagonal overhead strike, Naruto swung his scythe from below to meet the large blade. The two weapons clashed together with a loud 'clang'.

While the two weapons were locked together, Naruto pulled his scythe down with the massive blade hooked between the two blades of his weapon, prompting the larger man to lose his balance for a split second. But it was enough time for the blonde to spin and deliver a strong strike from the end of the scyhe into the larger mans chest.

Quickly resetting his position, Naruto awaited the next exchange of blows. Smirking at the thrill of the fight. While he had trained with Jashin, Yugao, and Anko; there was a difference when your opponent was actually trying to kill you. Though he couldn't help but wonder if Anko was trying to kill him sometimes during their spars.

Kakashi could only watch on in pure shock as the blonde hanyou continued to trade blows with the large swordsman. Unlike the two's prior engagement where as Naruto was parrying and avoiding the strikes, the blonde was fully blocking the powerful blows delivered by Zabuza with little effort. This only served to annoy the masked jonin further. There was no way the dead last of the academy is this strong.

Meanwhile, back with Naruto and Zabuza. The two had continued to trade blows with one another. The swordsman from Kiri was pleasantly surprised with how well the blonde could use the scythe. So much so, that he was having a hard time defending against him as the young blonde would twirl the weapon with easy, making it hard to distinguish where he would be attacking from. As a result, numerous cuts marred the larger mans body.

"This is great, gaki!" The larger man grinned madly as he took another swing at the blonde before him. "I haven't had this much fun in a fight in years!"

Naruto only grinned back as he blocked the attacking and countered with his own, striking the mans chest three times with a flurry of kicks. The force of the blows nearly knocking the wind out of the larger swordsman.

Realizing that a full frontal assault on the blonde was not working, as the teen was far stronger then he looked, not to mention the black scythe he wielded absorbed each strike, removing any vibration that would travel down the handle, making it so the blonde never lost his grip; Zabuza began to go through some hand seals, blanketing the area in a thick mist.

'_While a good tactic on most, this doesn't work on me.'_ Naruto thought with a smirk as he activated his Shadow Sight.

As he did so, he could see the true form of Zabuza standing still in a different location then where he was when he had activated the jutsu. All throughout the mist though, the blonde could see the ghostly forms of the water clones that the swordsman had made. Smirking, Naruto made an equal number of shadow clones before sinking into the shadows that the mist had created, leaving the clones to battle amongst themselves.

'_Now, to find where the gaki is at, and finish this.'_ Zabuza thought to himself as he expanded his chakra into the mist. Getting sonar like readings of where everything was. Through this chakra like sonar, the swordsman could detect what was animate and what was inanimate. It wouldn't do well if he mistook a support beam for an enemy. _'So the gaki created shadow clones, smart.'_

Whilst Zabuza attempted to locate where Naruto had disappeared to, which was increasingly difficult as the teens shadow clones were just as strong as his own water clones, which prevented him from thinning their numbers as easily as he had hoped. What he had failed to realize is the pool of shadows growing larger behind him. Not until he felt the edge of the scythes blade on his neck drawing a small line of blood from the weapons razor sharp edge, causing him to widen his eyes in shock.

"I win, Zabuza-san." Naruto spoke from behind him.

Zabuza could only chuckle in response. He had been bested by a mere genin, though a strong one none the less.

"So you have gaki, so you have." The larger man stated as he dispelled the mist jutsu, as well as his water clones. Naruto had done the same with his shadow clones that were fighting the water clones, as well as deactivating his Shadow Sight. Though he still kept the four he up that were looking after Sakura and Haku.

"That was one hell of a fight, gaki." Zabuza stated with pride as he looked down at the young blonde.

'_**So, are you going to tell him that you were still holding back?'**_ Ahri asked with an amused giggle.

'_Why ruin his good mood?'_ Naruto mentally asked. _'Besides, it's best if he thinks I went all out. Even better if Taida-sensei believes it as well.'_

However, he was broken out of his musing when the sound of a slow clap echoed across the bridge. Turning to the entry way of the bridge, Naruto could make out a short pudgy man with gray hair surrounded by a small army of thugs and mercenaries.

"Well, well. It seems that the great 'Demon of the Mist' is all talk." The man grinned. "To be beaten by a child. Truly pathetic."

"What are you doing here, Gato?" Zabuza asked, even though he already knew the answer. This was merely for show. "And why did you bring all of them?"

"Well, you see." Gato grinned. "There has been a change of plans. This is where you die today 'Baby of the Mist'."

This earned a round of laughter from the group behind the man. None of them noticing the knowing smirk that hid under Zabuza's bandages.

"Kill the men." The pudgy man ordered. "Take the women to my chambers, so I can sample the goods after this is over."

With their orders received, the large group of thugs charged towards where Naruto, Zabuza, and Kakashi were. The latter not being in any condition to fight as he had already spent almost all of his chakra from using his Sharingan too much in the fight against Zabuza.

"I got these, gaki." Zabuza stated, looking to thee blonde. "Go take the head off of that smug asshole."

Hefting his massive blade up, the Kiri swordsman charged at the attacking group. A dark glint in his eyes that promised untold pain and death. Meanwhile, Naruto had summoned his scythe weapon once more into his hands before dropping down into his own shadow, much to the shock of Kakashi, as the masked jonin had never seen him use this technique before.

* * *

**With Sakura and Haku**

During this time, the short fat man was stalking towards where Sakura and Haku were at. A lecherous smirk on his face as he eyed the two females. Seeing the man approach, two of the Shadow Clones that Naruto had left moved to block him, prompting the man to stop. He wasn't stupid, he knew he couldn't defeat a shinobi outright. He would merely wait until his men dispatched them for him. In the meantime, he would enjoy how they squirmed under his gaze.

By this time, Sakura had regained conciousness and was surprised when she found her head laying on a soft material, instead of the hard concrete. Even more surprising was that the enemy who Sasuke was fighting was watching over her, a look of genuine concern in the ice users eyes. As she looked around, she saw the four Shadow Clones that Naruto had left, a small smile coming to her face. Glad that he had arrived in time.

"Easy there, your body is going to be a little stiff." Haku informed the pinkette, as she noticed her starting to move.

"You." Sakura whispered, her voice a little weak from being impaled in the neck from the senbons.

"My name is Haku." The dark haired girl introduced herself, with a look of regret in her eyes. "And I apologize that this had happened. It was not my intent to harm you."

"I know." She replied. "It was that bastard Uchiha that switched with me."

"Don't worry about him." The ice user gave a soft smile. "Naruto-kun knocked him out. It looked as if he wanted to do more, but you were his main concern."

This brought a small smile to the pinkette's face.

It was then that the two girls noticed the pudgy man leering at them. Haku knew the look all to well from her time traveling with Zabuza. It was a look that held untold perversion. Unconciouysly, both girls had scooted back a little as two of the clones that Naruto had left moved to block the mans approach.

Suddenly a shadowy figure erupted from the ground in front of the girls, not giving the pudgy man any time to react as he leapt over him. Bringing his weapon upwards as he did so, successfully cutting through Gato's body vertically. Landing behind him, Naruto wasted no time as he twirled his scythe around and performed a back handed slash. Effectively cutting the mans head off before it and the rest of his body spit in half from his previous cut.

'_Your soul now belongs to Jashin-chan.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he grinned darkly at the sight of the dead scum in front of him.

"You two alright?" He asked, allowing his weapon to dissipate once more, seeing as Zabuza had already made a mess of the force that Gato had brought with him. Both girls blushing at the sight of his exposed muscles, since Sakura's head was laying on his jacket.

As they were about to answer, a shadow loomed over the trio. Looking up, they saw a bloody Zabuza who looked a little out of breath after slaughtering nearly three hundred of Gato's goons. Fearing for her father figures health, Haku quickly ran to his side to attend to any wounds he may have.

"Relax Haku, I am fine." The swordsman sighed. "This is all their blood."

Gesturing at the massacre of bodies that now littered the bridge.

"Naruto, I have a request I would like to ask of you." The man stated, earning a curious look from both Naruto and Haku since he never used his name.

"What would that be, Zabuza-san?"

The large man looked to Haku for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.

"I want you to take Haku with you." He finally said, catching everyone by surprise.

"Bu-but Zabuza-sama!" Haku cried in shock, only for the man to hold up his hand and ruffle her hair.

"This is not the life for you." Zabuza stated, though it was clear in his voice that he was trying his best not to allow his own emotions to come forward. "I want you to have a stable ground under you. Not worrying about if you will be captured by Hunter-nin's."

"What will you do, Zabuza-san?" Naruto asked.

"I will head back to Kirigakure and help with the rebellion." The swordsman said. "You showed me something gaki. You showed me how much stronger you are when you are fighting for something other then money and yourself. I figured I may as well fight to retake my home once more."

"I humbly accept your request, if this is what Haku-chan wants as well." The blonde replied, looking to the ice user for an answer.

"I accept." She replied after a handful of seconds had passed. She knew that Zabuza wouldn't have requested this of the blonde without a good reason. As much as the man tried to hide his feelings, she knew that he thought of her as his own daughter.

"Very well Haku-chan. When we return to the village, I will talk Ji-ji into making you an official Konoha kunoichi." Naruto smiled to her, causing her to blush once more. "However, I am concerned about the trip back. No doubt the Uchiha will want revenge for you humiliating him. Furthermore. I am certain Taida-sensei will turn a blind eye long enough to allow the duck ass to at least feel vindicated."

This caused the other three to scowl at the thought. Sakura, having just been a victim to the Uchiha's ego, knew without a doubt that he would try something. Even further, with the favoritism that their sensei had shown towards the last Uchiha, she had to agree with Naruto on his assessment.

"However, under Shinobi International Law, if an enemy were to surrender to another, that person would be responsible for their care. Over riding even rank." Naruto stated, causing each of their eyes to widen. "And since Haku-chan surrendered to me, she is now my prisoner. Not even Hatake can over ride it unless he wants to cause an incident with the Fire Daimyo."

"Very clever gaki, very clever indeed."

"However, for the time being, I think it would be best if Haku-chan stayed with you until we leave." The blonde continued, earning a nod from the larger man. With that, the two departed to rest after the battle, and to pack what belongings had so that she would be ready when it was time to depart with Naruto to Konoha.

As the two left, Naruto turned his attention towards the pinkette. Haku had done a great job healing her wounds, the cherry blossom was still sore and stiff. However despite this, she was tired of laying on the ground and moved to attempt to stand, struggling slightly until she made it to her feet with the help of her blonde team mate. Immediately enveloping him in a hug, as she lightly sobbed into his shoulder, while the blonde hanyou whispered soothing comfort into her ears.

It was then that Kakashi had finally managed to make his way to the two. All the while glaring at Naruto for what he had done to the Uchiha boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Kakashi seethed. "Why did you attack Sasuke?"

"You mean that sack of shit that used a Kawarimi on Sakura-chan?" The blonde shot back, prompting the silver haired jonin to narrow his eyes slightly.

"Clearly it was an accident then." He defended the Uchiha's actions, earning a scowl from both Naruto and Sakura. "That still does not dismiss the fact that you attacked a team mate. You can be sure that I will be reporting this incident to the Hokage."

"Bullshit Hatake! You know damn well you need to purposely intend to use a Kawarimi on a living being. I know, I've done it twice to Sakura-chan to protect her." The blonde shot back, not the least bit intimidated by the jonin in front of him. "And go ahead and report this to the Hokage, I am more then willing to have Inochi-san view my memories."

"Me too." Came Sakura's hoarse voice from behind the blonde, signifying that she would also submit her own memories to prove Naruto's actions were validated.

Kakashi simply frowned at this. He had noticed over the past couple of weeks that the pink haired girl had ceased pestering Sasuke for dates and had begun to hang around the young blonde more. However, if he was honest with himself, he only had himself to blame as he had constantly taken the raven haired boy for private training and left the other two to their own machinations. Still, there was one other standing issue.

"Also, why did you allow Zabuza and his partner to leave?"

"Simple," Naruto shrugged as he bent down to and picked up his jacket and slipped it on. "Since Gato betrayed them, their contract to kill Tazuna-san had ended. Not to mention, Zabuza-san just saved everyone else here, since Gato's mens orders were to kill us and take the women. I don't think I need to explain to what what Gato had planned for the women."

Not wanting to talk with Kakashi anymore, the blonde made a simple hand seal and summoned a couple dozen Shadow Clones.

"Alright guys, I want you all to clean up the bridge and help repair any damage that was done to it."

"Right boss!" They said in unison and went off to perform their tasks.

"Come on Sakura-chan, let's get you to Tsunami-chan so you can get some much needed rest." Naruto stated as he wrapped his arms around the pink haired girl, whom did the same to the blonde as she knew what he was about to do. "I trust you can look after the duck ass, Taida-sensei?"

Not giving the masked jonin time to respond, both Naruto and Sakura sunk into the shadows. Leaving behind a shocked and bewildered Kakashi.

* * *

**One Week Later**

It had been a long week for Kakashi.

As soon as Sasuke had regained consciousness, he had demanded that both Naruto and the enemy ice user should be severely punished for daring to lay a hand on him. It didn't help his case any when confronted about using the Kawarimi on Sakura, he claimed that she should feel honored that he finally had a use for her. Tsunami had been severely tempted to throw the young boy out of her house for such a statement, however Naruto had talked her out of it, though she did make it clear that it would be reported to the Hokage.

Usually such a threat wouldn't be taken very seriously, except with the disposal of Gato, whom had run out the previous Wave Daimyo, the villagers had elected Tsunami herself as the new Wave Daimyo. Such a title would have a lot of weight attached it when such a report was given to the Hokage. Kakashi knew that the odds were stacked against him and the last Uchiha, so he did his best to play the peacemaker.

It didn't help matters further when only a few days ago, Zabuza and Haku had made a visit to the house to talk with the family. This of course had sent the silver haired jonin on edge, half expecting that the two had come to attack them. However, Zabuza had sat down with them at the table and explained what was going on. How Haku was going to return to the village with them for a more stable life. He had also stressed that due to International Shinobi Laws of Warfare, that Haku was under the sole care of Naruto, since he was the one that she had surrendered to. Furthermore that any violation of conduct would be brought before the Fire Daimyo himself.

Almost immediately, the Uchiha had demanded that the girl be placed under his custody, instead of the 'losers'. This of course did not go over well with those in the room. Both Zabuza and Naruto had flooded the room with a massive amount of killer intent, that even had Kakashi gasping for air. Sasuke on the other hand had immediately passed out. Since then, the ice user had stayed with them. Mostly around Naruto, Sakura, and the bridge builders family.

Sakura on the other hand, had mostly kept to herself during their down time. Only hanging out with Naruto and Tsunami, and then Haku when the ice user had arrived. Most times, the silver haired jonin would see her reading a popular book that he had saw nearly every woman reading in the village. If it wasn't the book, it was scrolls that he had never seen before. Making him wonder where she had gotten them from.

However, what made him frown was how she acted around the Uchiha now. It was clear that the pinkette didn't trust the boy anymore. Even more so is that she had flat out said she didn't feel safe around Sasuke or even Kakashi. The only one she truly felt safe around was Naruto.

Speaking of the blonde. He had been the most busy of the group. Making an army of Shadow Clones to aid in the construction of the bridge to finish it. Scouting the perimeters of the village to make sure none of Gato's lackey's had escaped. Even finding where the greedy man had resided and raided the homes contents. Not only returning the money that was siphoned out of the country, but also freeing countless slaves he had held in the basement of the complex. Thus, propelling his status even further amongst the villagers, much to a certain Uchiha's ire.

At one point in the week, Tsunami had requested him to accompany her to the Water Daimyo's mansion. Kakashi of course had offered his and Sasuke's services, but they were vehemently shot down as the woman had no respect for the two of them. It wasn't until late the next afternoon that the two had finally returned. It wasn't missed by Tazuna that his daughter kept blushing whenever she looked a the young blonde. Not to mention she had a certain glow about her that entire day.

With the week finally over, the bridge finished. It was now time to depart and return to the village. So, they had gathered at the end of the now finished bridge with the entire village bidding their farewells, mostly to Naruto and Sakura, with a few well wishes to Haku. It seemed that only a few had expressed any gratitude towards Kakashi, and absolutely none to Sasuke. Which only infuriated him further that these people did not see him as the elite that he was.

Despite the Uchiha's feelings, Team 7 along with Haku departed towards Konoha. With Kakashi and Sasuke walking in the front, and the other three bringing up the rear. Neither one of them trusting Sasuke to be behind them.

* * *

**With Tsunami**

The newly made Wave Daimyo watched as her lover departed with his team. Smiling as she saw him turn around one last time to give her one last look to promise that he would return to visit her and help her learn her new hanyou abilities. Knowing this, she sighed in contentment.

This of course did not go unnoticed by her father, who looked to her.

"So what happened between the two of you?" He asked in a tone that told her that he wanted a direct answer.

"Well," She blushed as she remembered the night they spent together in her new office. "We had entered a consensual relationship."

However, Tazuna was becoming upset as he had recalled the young boy had a girl in his home village as well.

"I'm afraid he played you." He frowned, viewing the blonde in a bad light. "Before we left he…."

"Was kissing his fiance, Anko." Tsunami finished for him with a smirk, earning a shocked look from her father. "No, he didn't play me. Naruto-kun is too much a gentleman for that. I merely accepted to be in a polyamorous relationship. Also, he plans to become part of something called a Clan Restoration Act since he is the sole survivor of two large clans in his village, which will legally allow him to take multiple wives."

The elder bridge builder was shocked into silence. Though, he was glad that the blonde had not played his daughter and was open about his current relationship and plans for the future. Deep in the back of his mind thought, he was envious of the blonde who was about to live every mans dream.

"Anyways, thank Kami things are finally getting better for our village." He said, earning a round of cheers from the surrounding villagers within ear shot of him. Only for his daughter to chuckle.

"Kami had nothing to do with this father." She smiled. "This is all thanks to Jashin-sama."

At this revelation, the crowd had gone deftly silent. Unsure of what to make of their new Daimyo's proclamation. The one most shocked was her own father.

"The morning you left for Konoha, I had prayed to Jashin-sama to deliver us and cleanse our land of the corruption that had taken hold in the form of Gato and his men. You see, Jashin-sama only wants corrupt souls." Tsunami explained as she turned to addressed the villagers. "During my prayer, Jashin-sama answered me. Telling me that soon we would all be sheltered by the shadow of the fox."

"Shadow of the fox." Tazuna whispered to himself before his eyes widened in realization as he remembered the kanji on the back of the blondes jacket. Many of the other villagers had come to the same conclusion as the blonde hardly ever took his jacket off.

"Naruto-kun is Jashin-sama's champion." Tsunami smiled before turning to the crowd once more. "And that is why I say that Jahsin-sama has delivered us from the corruption that had gripped our homes!"

At this, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers, causing the jashinist to smile at their acceptance. It was then she felt a small tug on her dress and looked down to see a young girl look up at her. Kneeling down, she asked what the young girl required.

"Does that mean we all have to become jashinist?" She asked, once against prompting the crowd to grow silent once more. However Tsunami merely smiled.

"No, you are free to follow your own faith." She replied as she stood up to look at the crowd once more. "Everyone is free to follow their own faith, so long as they respect each others beliefs. Those that do wish to know more about Jashin-sama are free to come to me with questions."

With one last cheer, the crowd began to disperse. Though a large portion had surprisingly stuck around to discuss their new Daimyo's faith and get a better understanding of it. It was then that Tsunami turned to her still shocked son and smiled at him.

"Next time you see Naruto-kun, feel free to call him tou-san." She smiled, and chuckled under her breath at the gobsmacked look on her sons face.

"I need a drink." Tazuna said as he wandered off to the local bar.

* * *

**A Week and a Half Later, Konohagakure**

Naruto was irritated, tire, and mentally exhausted.

He hadn't slept at all the entire trip back since his lazy sensei seemed to have taken the scenic route back to the village, as it had taken nearly double the time to return. Though he knew the reason why. It became obvious the very first night they had set up camp.

Roughly four hours after everyone had bedded down for the night, Sasuke had attempted to enact some of his vengeance on Haku, and probably would have succeeded if Naruto hadn't stayed up to guard her the entire night. As expected, Kakashi didn't arrive until well after the Uchiha had approached the ice user's tent. Though the masked jonin had seemed disappointed that Naruto had stopped Sasuke, however had still given the Uchiha a light lecture, if only to keep his appearance in case something were to happen, he could claim that he at least attempted to prevent it.

Still, each night Sasuke would attempt to harm Haku and each time he would be stopped by Naruto, and each time Kakashi would arrive late. It had become old fast. Even Sakura had noticed and was beginning to feel even more uneasy about the Uchiha and her sensei. So much so that she began sleeping in Haku's tent so she could be close to Naruto, not knowing that her blonde team mate hadn't slept at all the entire trip back.

The blonde hanyou's only real saving grace was a few nights before they had arrived at the village gates, he had Ahri possess his body so that he could at least allow his mind to sleep for a few hours. However, he couldn't risk it for too long, since when she possessed his body, his eyes would change to red slits, instead of his cerulean blue.

Still, after an extremely long trip, they had finally made it back to the village, and was now on their way to the Hokage Tower to report their mission complete. Kakashi had decided early on that it would be in his best interest to be as honest as possible in his report. Especially with the threat of Naruto and Sakura both willing to have their memories viewed. Still, he would try to swing it in a favorable light for the Uchiha. Sasuke in a foul mood because he was unable to exact his revenge on the ice user.

* * *

**Hokage's Office**

The elder village leader looked over the team that had just arrived with their plus one. Taking in the differences from when they had originally left. He knew that something had happened on this mission, with the way Sakura was now fully behind Naruto, almost as if she was hiding from the other member of her team. Beside her was the new individual that had returned with them. It also didn't go unnoticed that the trio were keeping their distance from both Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Report, Jonin Kakashi." The Hokage ordered.

It had taken the span of nearly an hour for the silver haired jonin to detail nearly everything that had happened during their mission. From the discovery that it wasn't just a simple C-rank mission, to the attack from Zabuza. Begrudgingly admitting that Naruto had saved him from the water sphere, though still maintained that the blonde had acted to recklessly and potentially endangered his team. Finally, he reported what had transpired on the bridge in the final battle. Also mentioning that Naruto had violated his order to have everyone present on the bridge, though once again reluctantly admitted it was for the best considering the attack on the family shortly they had left.

Finally, he reported the incident between Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. Still maintaining that the Uchiha must have done it by accident in the heat of the moment. This only earned a scoff from Naruto, which did not go unnoticed by Hiruzen, prompting the elder village leader to hold the boy afterwards.

"As I understand it, you wish to join our village, Ms. Haku?" The elder man asked, turning his attention to the ice user.

"That is correct Hokage-sama." She replied with confidence. "Zabuza-sama said he wanted me to have a more stable environment so that I could be safe."

"And where is Zabuza now?" Hiruzen asked.

"He is helping the rebels in the Kiri Civil War right now, to free his home." Naruto stated, earning a glare from the masked jonin, though the blonde shrugged it off.

"It is good to hear a shinobi of his talent has found something worth fighting for." The Hokage smiled before turning back to Haku. "Protocol dictates that due to your prior involvement with a Missing-nin, you are to be placed on probation for six months, as well as submit to interrogation sessions for one month. Do you accept?"

"I do, Hokage-sama." She firmly replied, showing her resolve to join the village.

"Very well," He signaled one of the ANBU that was hidden in the room. "Bring me Anko."

Instantly, the ANBU vanished in a swirl of leaves, before returning a few seconds later with the Snake mistress, who had immediately jumped on Naruto, causing the old man to gawk at the scene. However, the Hokage could only chuckle at the sight before him after he had gotten over his shock. He had known of the two's relationship, and knew all to well the worries of a long term mission outside of the village.

"Anko," Hiruzen coughed. "If you wouldn't mind waiting until you two are in a more private setting, we have important things to discuss."

"I don't know if I can wait that long Hokage-sama." Anko grinned. "I'm tempted to borrow your desk for a few hours."

The implications caused all the males, minus one, and one female to have a slight nosebleed. Both Kakashi and Hiruzen was imagining something like that happening in their favorite orange book series, whilst Sakura was being assaulted of images of her and Naruto on the desk by her inner self. Meanwhile, Haku was severely blushing.

"Anyways, what do you need old man?" The Snake Mistress asked, snapping everyone out of their stupor.

"Haku here wishes to join the village." Hiruzen informed her. "I am assigning you as her personal handler during her probation."

"Sweet, I get a new friend!" She exclaimed as she grabbed hold of Haku's hand and dragged her to the door. Though not before stopping by Naruto and giving him a deep kiss.

After the kiss was broken, Naruto leaned in and whispered something in the snake mistresses ear, getting a nod from her before the two girls left the office.

"Now, if that is all. Team 7, you are dismissed. Due to the difficulty of the mission, your team has the week off. No missions, and you will each be given pay for an A-rank mission." The Hokage stated. "Naruto, please stay. There is something I would like to discuss with you."

Nodding, Naruto turned to see his pink haired team mate look unsure of what to do. It was clear to him that she didn't want to be too far away from him. Giving her a soft smile, he pulled her into a gentle hug to reassure her that it would be fine.

"If you need someone to talk to, I'll be at my apartment later. Key is behind the third loose board on the wall." He whispered to her, earning a nod in confirmation before she left the office.

"I take it that Kakashi's report wasn't entirely accurate." Hiruzen began, having witnessed the interaction between the two just now. "And why do you look dead on your feet, Naruto-kun?"

"To answer the last question first, I haven't slept the entire trip back." Naruto sighed.

"Why is that?"

"One Sasuke Uchiha wanting to get revenge on Haku, as you know she humiliated him during the fight on the bridge." The blonde answered. "And of course, Kakashi would always arrive after he had already attempted."

"As for the report, surprisingly Kakashi was honest except you know as well as I that you can not 'accidentally' use the kawarimi on a living being." He continued, earning a nod from the elder man. "Though he did accuse me of stealing Yugao's Moon Dance Style."

When Hiruzen had heard what the Uchiha had done, he was furious at the boys arrogance. Sadly, he knew that any punishment attempted to be doled out to the Uchiha would be blocked by the Elder Council, not to mention the riot the civilian council would make.

"Is that all, Naruto-kun?" The Hokage asked.

"Actually, there is something I would like to discuss with you." Naruto said, catching the attention of the older man. "It's personal, so if you could dismiss the ANBU for the moment. Though Neko-chan is allowed to stay, as it does involve her."

This immediately got the old mans attention. Promptly he dismissed his ANBU as Neko joined them on the floor before activating his privacy seals.

"What is this about Naruto-kun and why does it involve ANBU Neko?" Though he didn't miss how the female ANBU was acting a little excited, as if she knew exactly what the blonde was about to say.

"Truth is Ji-ji, I know who my parents are." Naruto stated matter of factly. "And as the last heir of the Uzumaki clan from my mother, Kushina Uzumaki. And as the sole heir of the Namikaze clan from my father, Minato Namikaze. Otherwise known as the Yondamie Hokage. I wish to enter myself into the Clan Restoration Act, though on my terms."

Needless to say, Hiruzen was speechless.

* * *

**With Sakura**

The pinkette slowly made her way to her home.

She had purposely held back to make sure that both Sasuke and Kakashi were no where near her. While she had come to terms with what had happened, she still didn't feel safe around neither of them. Sasuke because he was the one who had used her as a shield to take a blow meant for him, and Kakashi because despite the evidence, the man continued to defend the pricks actions.

Shuddering at the memory, Sakura continued her trek home. Opening the door to see her mother busily going about her duties within the home.

"Welcome home Sakura dear!" Her mother smiled and enveloped her daughter into a hug.

While Sakura hugged her mother back, she had noticed something. Her mothers hug didn't feel anywhere near as warm or comforting as Naruto's had. This of course caused her to blush slightly, as she knew she didn't just have a crush on her blonde team mate. She had completely fallen for him.

"How was your mission?" Mebuki asked with excitement, wanting to hear the details. "Were you able to get closer to your Sasuke-kun?"

The last part made the pinkette frown a bit in disgust.

"Mission was fine mom, I was able to learn a lot of new things to better progress my career as a kunoichi." Sakura answered honestly, though tried to avoid any mentioning of the emo duck ass.

"And what about Sasuke-kun?" Her mother smiled. "Were you able to get any closer to your destined husband?"

"Actually, I no longer have a crush on the Uchiha." She answered bluntly. "And I no longer have any interest in pursuing him. I am just going to focus on my training so I can be a better kunoichi."

This of course prompted the older woman to look at her daughter in shock.

"What happened my dear?" She asked.

"Other then the fact the bastard tried to kill me?" Sakura seethed at the memory, catching her mother off guard. "That son of a bitch used a kawarimi on me so I can take the hit meant for him!"

Mebuki merely sighed and brought her daughter into another hug.

"Sometimes we must make sacrifices to show the ones we love how far we will go for them." The woman smiled, causing Sakura's eyes to widen in shock at what her mother was saying. "Like I said dear, you are destined to be married to him and you two will give me lots of grandchildren to spoil."

Sakura was stunned as she was released from the hug her mother had held on her.

'_She doesn't even care that I could have died because of his actions!'_ She thought to herself, while her inner self was seething in anger.

"It's just a shame that the demon brat didn't get himself killed." Mebuki commented off handedly. "Would have done the village a huge favor if he never made it back."

'_**She's talking about Naruto-kun!'**_ Inner Sakura exclaimed, her anger rising even further at the woman. Sakura herself could only mentally agree as her physical form was still in shock. Slowly she made her way to the stairs to go to her bedroom.

'_Inner, I really don't think I can stay in this house tonight.'_ The pinkette mentally told her counter part.

'_**Well, Naruto-kun said we could go to his apartment if we needed anyone to talk to.'**_ Inner reminded her.

'_You're right! Except, I don't know where he lives.'_

'_**Well, 'mother dear' is on the Civilian Council, I bet she has his address somewhere in her office.'**_ Inner stated, with clear indication that she was not very fond of the woman right now. Especially with the amount of venom that was dripping off the word, mother.

"Are you alright dear?" Her mother asked as she saw her daughter going up the stairs.

"Just tired." Was all Sakura replied with, not really wanting to be around the woman at this point.

"Okay dear, I have to leave for a council meeting." Mebuki announced as she grabbed her stuff and left the house. Unaware of her daughters own thoughts.

Sakura watched as her mother left before quickly producing a shadow clone of her own to keep watch while she made a beeline towards the woman's office. She knew the woman had the boys address, since every council member was given an up to date list of all the citizens, their addresses and their status within the village.

It wasn't hard to find Naruto, as his name had been scribbled out and the words 'Demon Brat' written above them. Memorizing the address, Sakura closed the address book and was about to leave before something caught her eye.

Laying open on the desk was her mothers diary. Curiosity getting the better of her, she sat down and began to read some of the entries. Becoming more shocked and appaled by her mothers actions as tears formed in her eyes. Inside the diary, detailed every 'Fox Hunt' she had organized in hopes of killing the child. Only to be prevented each time by ANBU. Their closest success had been on the boys sixth birthday.

After that, many of the entries detailed the woman's frustration that there had not been any successful hunts for years after the boy turned six, due to the child mysteriously vanishing from sight. Wiping the tears away, Sakura stood up and left the house. With her newest discovery, she knew that she couldn't stand to look at her own mother, let alone live in the same house as her.

Her destination set, Sakura quickly navigated her way towards where the blonde resided. It didn't take her long to arrive in front of the apartment complex. She could see the tell tale signs of attempted graffiti and vandalism, causing her anger to rise once more. Quickly, she made her way to his door, and found the spare key he had told her about. Once unlocked, she placed the key back into it's hiding spot, before she disappeared into the apartment. Locking the door behind her.

Once inside, Sakura took in her surroundings. For some reason, she had half expected the place to be a mess, but surprisingly it was clean and well organized. Realizing she really had nothing to do, as she had only come with what she had from the mission. Slowly, she gravitated toward his bedroom and sat down on the bed. Letting out a long sigh as she laid down.

This was how Naruto found the pink haired girl when he arrived home some hours later. The talk with the Hokage had gone on far longer then he had wanted, but the details had to be ironed out. Currently, he was pretty much already in the CRA. Being the last of two large clans, even if he hated his father, he would still use what was presented to him. Not to mention his 'bloodline'. Fortunately, the old man had scheduled the council meeting for late tomorrow afternoon to give the young blonde time to sleep.

Smiling as he looked over Sakura's sleeping form, he draped a blanket over her before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Opting to take the couch for the night.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes: **Well, that was a massive chapter to write, but there were a lot of things I had wanted to cover before the next chapter.

Speaking of which, as you can guess, the next chapter will focus on Naruto being submitted into the CRA, Yugao dry humping Naruto in front of Hayate, and a celebration party afterwards between Naruto and his girls. However, I have no plans for a lemon scene.

Anyways, as always, be sure to leave your thoughts, comments, and ideas in the reviews. Or shoot me a private message if you having any questions or suggestions!


	12. Chapter 12

**Authors Notes:** So let's recap!

Wave mission is complete, and Team 7 is back in Konoha. Even though it took twice as long since Sasuke wanted to attack Haku during the night to get some sense of revenge for her humiliating him, and Kakashi more or less was going to allow it to happen. Meanwhile, Naruto didn't sleep at all the entire trip back so he could watch over Haku.

Secondly, Naruto has informed Hiruzen his intention to enter the CRA (Clan Restoration Act), revealing he knows about his parents. Now, while Naruto hates his father, he will not let that hate blind him of the usefulness of using his fathers name to give him an advantage.

And lastly, like in canon, Sasuke has unlocked his Sharingan during his fight with Haku. Though it wasn't enough to help him.

Moving on, normally I will respond to a few reviews, however for this chapter I am going to be answering some questions and comments that I get a lot.

_**Q: Is Yugao more loyal to Jashin or the Hokage? In other words, if Jashin gives her an order to kill the Hokage, will she do it?**_

_A: Yes, without hesitation. Yugao in this story is fully devoted to Jashin. There will be a scene later in the story that show cases this. The only person she will hesitate if ordered to kill would be Naruto._

_**Q: Why didn't Sakura take her mothers diary when she found what was inside it?**_

_A: Currently, Sakura is in mental distress over the events that happened in the final battle on the bridge. Coupling that with her mother being dismissive about what happened and flat out saying she wished Naruto would have died, it all left our cherry blossom mentally drained to the point she just wanted to go to the one person that would make her feel safe. Naruto._

_**Q: How are you going to handle so many girls in the harem?**_

_A: Well, by cheating._

_Only about a dozen or so will be given regular attention. While the others will be introduced, given their 15 minutes of fame and some fluff scenes before they are given a legitimate reason why they can't live with Naruto. There will be references to them though, and it will be implied that Naruto has been visiting all his girls._

_**Q: Will there be more lemon scenes?**_

_A: Yes, however I only want to use them to build up an intimate and romantic bond between Naruto and his girls. Next one is probably going to have Sakura. For those that don't want to read these parts, do not worry. I will post large warnings at the beginning and end like I did last time so it can be skipped over._

_**Q: When will Sakura officially get with Naruto?**_

_A: By the end of this chapter._

_**Q: If/when Kushina joins the harem, how will you handle the relationship between her and Naruto?**_

_A: Mostly, I am going to have both of them have a lot of inner turmoil about their attraction to each other, thus both will show a considerable about of resistance about it. This will be a small sub plot in much later chapters. However, there will be NO lemon scenes between the two._

_Also it should be noted that since Naruto is now a half demon/hanyou, Kushina is only his mother in name only._

That's it for questions and answers. Now, on with the story!

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 12

**Pre-dawn, 4:43AM**

The window to Naruto's room quietly slid open as a lithe figure entered the dark room. A mischievous grin on their face as they eyed the lump laying in the bed that was barely visible due to the lack of light. Completely vulnerable. Stripping out of their tan trench coat and body mesh outfit, the figure slipped under the covers with her unsuspecting victim. Her grin widening as she cuddle up close to the other sleeping form in the bed. Tenderly, she snaked her arms around the other, planting light kisses on the back of 'his' neck, eliciting a small moan of pleasure from the other.

'_It's been over a month Foxy-kun, and we have to make up for lost time.'_ Was Anko's thoughts as she continued to feel up 'his' body. Tracing her fingers along 'his' sides. Causing her 'lover' to shiver in pleasure. Ever so slowly snaking her arm to 'his' chest. _'And it's been so long since I felt your nice __firm__….tits?'_

It was then that the other figure had woken up and let out a scream in shock and bolted up in a sitting position, looking at the intruder.

"Holy shit!" Anko exclaimed as she kicked back from the other figure.

Suddenly the room was flooded with light as the door slammed open, revealing a topless Naruto at the door way with a short black blade in a reverse grip position, prompting both women to blush at the sight. Turning on the lights of the bedroom, he took in the sight before him. Anko was naked in one corner of the bed, whilst Sakura was on the other. Both looking at each other in complete shock.

"Anko-chan." Naruto sighed as he released the blade in his hand, allowing it to disappear into nothingness. "I told you that you can't just force any cute girl you see into a threesome."

Anko gave a nervous chuckle while Sakura only blushed at the compliment.

"Heh, sorry. You didn't come by like I thought you would last night, so I thought I would give you a surprise." The snake mistress explained. "Looks like I was the one who was surprised."

"You're not the only one." Sakura stated, still blushing at the naked for of Anko. Using all of her will power not to stare at the nude snake mistress. Not to mention, still feeling the phantom presence of when the woman had groped her breast.

"Sorry about that." Anko chuckled while scratching the back of her head, before turning to Naruto. "So why didn't you come by?"

"Sorry Anko-chan, my talk with the old man went on longer then I wanted it to." The blonde began with a sigh. "And I just really wanted to get some sleep, since I didn't sleep for the past week and a half."

'_Week and a half?'_ Sakura thought to herself. _'That's how long it took us to get back to the village. That means….'_

'_**That Naruto-kun didn't sleep at all on the trip back!'**_ Inner finished, clearly worried for the blonde.

'_But why?'_ The pinkette mentally questioned.

'_**I bet you it has something to do with that damn Uchiha.'**_ Inner seethed, earning a mental nod of agreement from her outer self.

"Why didn't you get any sleep?" The snake mistress asked, concern laced in her voice.

"Can sum it up to one word." Naruto sighed. "Uchiha."

This caused both girls to scowl.

"As you know, Haku was under my custody during the trip back. And since she humiliated him at the bridge, he has been trying and failing to get revenge on her." The blonde continued. "Every night, he would attempt to attack her in her sleep at random hours. It didn't help that Kakashi would always arrive a few minutes after the Uchiha would attempt his attack. So, I stayed up the entire trip back, using my chakra reserves to keep me energized."

"Bastard is playing with fire there." Anko stated, clearly angry about the whole thing. "Haku was under the protection of the International Shinobi Laws of Warfare. Any attack on her during her transport to the village could easily end his execution, and Hatake's for allowing it to happen."

"Naruto-kun, why didn't you tell me?" Sakura asked. "I would have taken watch with you."

"I know Sakura-chan, but I didn't want to burden you after what had already happened." He gave her a comforting smile. "Anyways, I still want to catch up on a few hours of sleep, so I'm going to go back to the couch."

"You know Naruto-kun," Anko grinned mischievously. "You have two attractive women in your bed, and there is room for one more."

This of course caused Sakura to blush even more, as a small trickle of blood came from her nose. Imagining various scenarios that could play out with all three of them in the same bed. Especially with the snake mistress still in her nude state, and Naruto dressed only in his sweat pants. To be honest, she would not object in the slightest if he chose to get in bed with them.

However, to her disappointment, Naruto merely chuckled and went back to the couch. Anko quickly gathering up her clothing and rushing out of the room to join the blonde, though not before utterly another quick apology for the groping. Turning off the lights, and closing the door behind her. Leaving the cherry blossom in the dark, still blushing.

'_**Oh my Kami!'**_ Inner exclaimed. _**'We just got groped by that sexy bitch, and she even invited Naruto-kun to get in bed with both of us!'**_

Meanwhile, Sakura remained silent as her mind continued to assault her with images of the three of them in bed together. Laying back down, the pinkette had a perverted smile as she allowed herself to drift off to sleep. To dream of a fun fight night with her, Naruto and the snake mistress.

'_**At least she is finally accepting who she is.' **_Inner smiled.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

It was mid afternoon by the time Naruto woke up again. Anko had left awhile ago to start her shift at the Torture and Interrogation building, as well as do her rounds with the newly arrived Haku. However, what caught the blondes attention was the scent that wafted from the kitchen area. Getting up from the couch, he began to stretch. Earning a series of pops and cracks from his bones, releasing a lot of built up tension from his body.

That done, he slowly made his way to the kitchen to find his pink haired team mate at the stove, cooking what appeared to be bacon, eggs and hash browns. He had to be honest, it smelled great.

"Morning err, afternoon Sakura-chan." He greeted, prompting her to jump in surprise at his sudden voice.

"Afternoon, Naruto-kun" She blushed at his exposed upper body once more, as this was the first time she had seen him up close without his shirt on. "I was just making something for you to eat when you woke up."

'_Damn, that Uchiha bastard has nothing on Naruto-kun in the muscles department.'_ Sakura thought to herself.

'_**Or any department for that matter. I bet he is even big 'down there'.' **_Inner grinned, causing another blush from the poor pinkette.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" The blonde asked, noticing her face turning red.

"Yeah, just fine." She answered, almost in a squeaky voice, before shaking her thoughts away as she quickly dished up plates for the two of them. Though her inner self was snickering in the back of her mind, commenting on how it already looked like they were married and she was the doting house wife. "So what did you talk to the Hokage about?"

As he sat down at the table, he let out a soft sigh.

"Well, first Ji-ji wanted to know how accurate Taida-sensei's report was." He began, taking a bite of the food in front of him, noting how good of a cook the pinkette was. "I filled in what was left out, including pointing out that the Uchiha performed the kawarimi on purpose."

Sakura flinched slightly at the memory.

"But that shouldn't have taken that long, should it?" She asked.

"Well, I also had to talk to the old man about something important to me." He sighed, wondering how the pinkette would take this. "I found out who my parents are, and more importantly, who they were."

"That's great!" She exclaimed, clearly happy that he learned who his parents were. However, she didn't know the full extent. "So who are they?"

Naruto could only chuckle at her excitement. "Well, my mother's name is Kushina Uzumaki, otherwise known as the Red Death as well as the Red Hot Blooded Habenaro. Depending on who you ask."

"And your father?"

"You're not going to believe this." He smiled, hiding his anger towards the man. "He was none other then the Yondamie Hokage. Minato Namikaze, The Yellow Flash."

A loud clang could be heard as Sakura had dropped her fork in complete shock.

"That was my reaction as well." He lied.

"Okay." Sakura said, after snapping out of her shock. "So your parents are two of the villages biggest heroes in the Third Shinobi War. So I guess this means something big is about to happen with you."

"Great deduction, Sakura-chan." He smiled. He really loved how smart she was, now that she was completely knocked out of her fan girl mind set. Always able to piece stuff together with minimal resources. "Yes, I have a council meeting to attend here in a few hours."

"About what?"

"About me putting myself into the CRA." He sighed.

"CRA?" She asked, she had heard the acronym before, but never knew it's meaning.

"Clan Restoration Act." He explained. "Meaning, I will have to take multiple wives to rebuild not just one clan, but two clans. The Uzumaki and Namikaze."

Sakura was silent for a handful of seconds at the revelation of this new information. In the span of five minutes, she had learned that her blonde team mate was the son of the previous Hokage, and one of the best kenjutsu practitioners in all of the Elemental Nations, and now he was putting himself into something that would allow him to take multiple wives.

'_**See, I told you it would work out.'**_ Inner stated in excitement. _**'Now you can share him with that sexy snake mistress!'**_

"So, basically you get to have your own harem." Sakura teased, making a joke of it. Though internally, she was conflicted about it. On one hand, she could be with him. On the other, she would have to share him with who knows how many other women.

"That is not my intent, Sakura-chan." He stated, ensuring she doesn't get the wrong idea. "I am only doing this for one woman, so I don't have to hide her anymore."

"What do you mean?" She frowned in confusion.

"Well as you know, Anko-chan and I are dating and pretty much engaged already." He began. "However, I have also been seeing another woman as well, with Anko-chan's approval, that I was engaged to through an arranged marriage."

"Who is the other woman?" She asked, a little curious and a little jealous.

"Yugao Uzuki, otherwise known as ANBU Neko." He answered, watching the pinkette for her reaction. He could see in her eyes as her emotions ranged form jealousy to understanding in the span of a few seconds. "However, I know how the council works, especially the civilian side. When it comes out that I have a blood line, they will try and force their daughters on me. Which is why I am preemptively striking and entering it on my own terms."

Sakura frowned at that. She knew full well that the civilian council would force their own daughters into a loveless marriage just to elevate their own social status.

"I should probably get ready." He sighed as he washed off his plate. "Thank you for breakfast Sakura-chan, it was really good."

Then, he did something she wasn't ready for. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush intensely at the show of affection, before he disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower. It took a solid five minutes before the pinkette snapped out of her daze and begun to clean up her own plate.

After about ten minutes, Naruto exited his bedroom fully dressed in his usual attire. Much to the disappointment of his pink haired team mate, who had enjoyed gawking at his exposed chest and abs.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself today, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, clearly still concerned of her emotional state.

"I think so." She tried to sound confident. "I think I am just going to go to one of the training grounds and train for the afternoon."

Naruto nodded as the two made their way out the door with the blonde locking the apartment behind him. Turning he was surprised when Sakura had embraced him in a hug, which he returned. Hearing a sigh of content from the pinkette before they broke apart to head to their own respective destinations.

Unaware of a platinum blonde girl who had just witnessed the exchange.

* * *

**With Ino**

Ino couldn't believe what she had just seen.

'_What the hell is __F__orehead doing with Naruto-baka?'_ The blonde haired girl asked herself.

Normally, the Yamanaka heiress wouldn't be in this side of the village, but her sensei had insisted that she deliver this bouquet of arranged flowers to Kurenai-sensei. who lived just past the Red Light District, right away. The blonde didn't know the details, but she had worked in her parents shop long enough to know when a guy bought a woman a lot of flowers, it meant he screwed up and is trying to apologize.

Though usually, most guys would take the flowers themselves, not send someone else. This of course prompted her to frown slightly. It truly felt like he was hiding something. Shaking her thoughts away, she focused back to the task at hand. Storing away the little tidbit about Sakura and Naruto to confront her former best friend later about it.

It didn't take her much longer to arrive at the small house that the Genjutsu Mistress resided in. Tentatively knocking on the door, Ino awaited the older woman to answer. She only had to wait a few more minutes before the door opened, revealing the ruby eyed beauty.

"Afternoon Kurenai-sensei, got a delivery for you." The blonde smiled as she presented the bouquet of arranged flowers, prompting the other woman to frown.

"Let me guess, from Asuma, right?" She asked, not hiding her disdain towards the man in the slightest.

"Um, yeah." She replied hesitantly. _'Yup, Asuma-sensei fucked up big time.'_

"Figures, cheating bastard doesn't even know what my favorite flowers are." Kurenai sighed. "And he should know better then to try and get someone else involved."

"So, I am going to assume you will not be accepting the flowers." The blonde replied. _'__Scratch that__, he didn't fuck up big time. He fucked up on an astronomical scale.'_

"Sorry Ino-san, but no." The ruby eyed woman sighed. "I don't want anything to do with that bastard."

"Sorry to bother you then Kurenai-sensei." Ino replied as she tossed the flowers into an open trash bin. It didn't matter to her, the flowers were already paid for. "I got to get back to the shop, have a good day."

Kurenai could only sigh as she saw the blonde girl run off. She knew full well why the cheating bastard had sent the girl to deliver the flowers. He was hoping having a third party would soften her up and put her in a position so that she wouldn't cause a scene. As the blonde girl fully disappeared, the genjutsu mistress returned to her home, though not before casting a cold glare at a group of bushes not far off from where she was. Knowing full well that the cheating bastard had been spying on her since Ino had arrived.

She could feel Asuma seething in anger from his spot within the bushes.

* * *

**With Naruto**

The blonde hanyou sighed as he approached the Hokage Tower. While he knew it was important to get this out of the way, he was not looking forward to it in the slightest. He was well aware of how the council members thought of him. Namely the civilian council, as well as the elder council. Fortunately, this was a shinobi and clan matter, which made the civilian councils opinion on the matter worth exactly squat.

Though he couldn't deny, part of him was looking forward to seeing their reaction when they learn who his parents were. He knew full well that many of them would deny such a claim. Too bad for them that the old man had all the physical evidence required to prove it. Either way, it was going to be a headache.

Arriving at his destination, the young blonde knocked on the large wooden doors. Getting permission, he entered the hokage's office to see four of the elder man. Three of which were doing the paper work, and one that was leaning back reading a familiar orange book.

"Ero-Hokage." He commented, earning a chuckle from the old man as he put his book away.

"Are you ready, Naruto-kun?" The elder man asked, knowing that the young teen wasn't well liked amongst the civilian members of the council. At least the clan heads were at least neutral about the boy.

"Not really, but let's get this over with ji-ji so we can both relax." The blonde chuckled, following the village leader to the council chambers.

Both taking a deep breath, the Hokage pushed open the doors revealing the council members of both sides loudly debating amongst themselves what the meeting could be about. Upon seeing the two enter the room, the enter council went silent. Both the civilian and shinobi council wondering what the blonde genin was doing there.

"Hokage-sama, what is that brat doing here?" Demanded a fat civilian councilman.

"Mind your tone with me, councilman." Hiruzen stated with authority, unleashing a moderate about of killer intent. Forcing the arrogant councilman to cower in his chair. Reigning in his killer intent, the hokage turned to address the rest of the council. "Now then, this meeting is now in session."

"Hokage-sama, what is the purpose of this meeting?" Inoichi asked, earning a round of murmurs. All of them wondering the same thing.

"This meeting serves two purposes." Hiruzen stated, sitting down in his chair at the end of the U-shaped table. "The first, is announcing the heritage of young Uzumaki Naruto, and who his parents are."

"And just who is Uzumaki-san's parents?" Asked a bandaged elder by the name of Danzo. His only exposed eye observing the young blonde in great detail. Though it went unnoticed how the elder man was tightly gripping his cane. _'This was not part of Minato's plan!'_

"His parents are none other then Kushina Uzumaki, and Minato Namikaze." The elder village leader answered, bracing himself for the onslaught of shouts that were about to follow.

As expected, the civilian side erupted in a flurry of shouts of denial. Tossing out accusations that it was all a lie and that there was no way that the 'demon brat' was related to their revered Yondamie. The clan heads on the other hand were silent as they digested this bit of information. Some, such as Tsume and Shika had already known. Meanwhile others like Hiashi was contemplative.

"Silence!" Hiruzen shouted, unleashing another wave of killer intent. "I don't give a damn if you like it or not."

"And to solidify this revelation, here are Naruto's birth certificate and blood sample. Proving the boys linage." The hokage continued as he provided the proper papers to be passed along the clan heads side. Each nodding in agreement with the Hokage's claim.

"So the pup is the son of my best friend and blood-sister" Tsume grinned at the boy, even though she had already known long ago. "Sorry pup, if it wasn't for the arrogant asses over there, I would have brought you into the pack a long time ago."

"It's okay Tsuma-sama." Naruto smiled. "I know you tried to adopt me many times with each time being blocked by the civilian council."

"Cut the -sama bullshit, just call me Tsume, pup." The feral woman laughed.

"These are genuine." Danzo stated as he set the papers back on the table. "Now, what is the second purpose of this meeting, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen eyed the bandaged elder suspiciously before continuing.

"Due to Naruto-kun's heritage, he is the last of both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans." He began, already he could see the clan heads nodding their heads in understanding, while the civilian side scowled in anger. "As such, Naruto-kun has submitted himself for the Clan Restoration Act to revive these two clans within Konoha, under his own terms. Which is simply, that he gets to choose his would be wives."

"Absolutely not!" A blonde woman on the civilian side exclaimed. "I will not allow it!"

"Unfortunately for you, Mebuki," Hiashi stated, glaring at the woman, prompting her to quickly sit down and shut up. "This is a clan and shinobi affair. Meaning the civilian council as now say in the matter. You are merely here as a courtesy, nothing more."

"Furthermore, young Naruto-kun has awakened an extremely rare bloodline as well, which doubles his status within the Clan Restoration Act even further." Hiruzen stated. This of course caused the bandaged war hawk to perk up in interest.

"And what is his blood line?" Inquired the bandaged elder.

"It's called **Kurozunda**, or Dark Blood." Naruto answered as he watched over the various council members actions. However, he stopped when he looked upon the bandaged man. The young hanyou could see the gears turning in the mans head, prompting Naruto to narrow his eyes slightly.

'_**Be careful around him Naruto-kun.' **_Ahri stated, feeling uneasy about the man. _**'He gives off a dark aura.'**_

'_I feel it too Ahri-chan.'_ Naruto mentally replied. _'No doubt he is plotting to make either my power or my self his own to control.'_

"What exactly can this blood line do, Uzumaki-san?" Asked the blonde man.

"Well to be honest, Inoichi-sama; I am still learning about it." The blonde answered. Not wanting to reveal too much about what he can do with it. "From what I have learned, I have mastery of darkness and shadows."

He proved his point by summoning one of his dark blade weapons. A simple, tanto length blade. Nothing to fancy, but enough to show only part of what he could really do with his powers. Then allowing it to dissipate.

"That power should belong to Uchiha-sama!" Exclaimed one of the civilian council members, with the rest vocally agreeing with the person demands. "We demand that you teach Uchiha-sama those powers immediately!"

"First off, you can't teach a blood line to another who doesn't have it, you dumb ass cunt." Naruto replied, his tone even. "And as it is clearly a shinobi matter, I am not obligated to adhere to your demands, councilman."

"This bloodline is fascinating." Danzo stated, looking to get more information about it. "Is there anything else you can do with it?"

"No, as I said, I am still learning as it is an extremely rare bloodline." The blonde answered, looking to the hokage whom seemed to get the idea of what the boy was doing.

"Now then, moving on to the final purpose of this meeting." Hiruzen began, moving the topic away from the boys blood line, much to the old war hawks anger. "Those of the Shinobi council in favor of submitting Naruto into the Clan Restoration Act to revive both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans, as well as expand Naruto's **Kurozunda** blood line, raise your hand."

Much to the disappointment of the entire civilian council, the entirely of the shinobi council silently raised their hands, showing their acceptance of the boy being submitted into the CRA. Shocking the civilian side even further was the fact that Danzo had also raised his hand as well, prompting the other two elders to do the same.

This of course did not go unnoticed by the elder Hokage. Narrowing his eyes as he wondered what the old war hawk was up to.

"Very well, through a unanimous vote; Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze has been submitted into the Clan Restoration Act. Congratulations, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen smiled.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Naruto replied, bowing before the elder man in a show of respect, before also doing the same to the shinobi council. "And thank you all for giving me this opportunity."

"Think nothing of it pup." Tsume smiled. _'Now, I can approach him and Anko about allowing Hana to marry him.'_

"Forgive me for asking Uzumaki-san," Inoichi began. "But I am curious if you already have any potential brides?"

"I do, Inoichi-sama." The blonde teen grinned sheepishly.

"And who might that be, if I may ask?" Inquired Danzo.

"Well, it is no secret that I am dating Anko Mitarashi, soon to be Uzumaki." The teen smiled as he thought of how he was going to surprise his snake mistress.

"Of course the snake whore would fuck the dem-" Mebuki began before being cut off as she felt a blade pressed against her throat. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could just barely make out the Neko ANBU standing just behind her, sword in hand.

"Finish that sentence." Neko whispered coldly. "Please."

"Allow me to introduce my second fiance." Naruto chuckled as the council woman's eyes went wide in shock and horror.

Hiruzen nodded to the Neko ANBU, signaling her to remove her mask. As this was a matter that concerned her as well. Smirking, Yugao removed her blade from the woman's throat and secured her sword before removing her mast to show her beautiful face.

"Yugao Uzuki." Naruto continued as the purple haired woman made her way over to where her mate was standing. "Also, a very close friend of Anko-chan. So I would advice you to keep any unwanted comments to yourself."

"This is certainly a surprise."Tsume laughed. She had to admit, the pup had already attracted two strong kunoichi. Even better, both were good friends of Hana.

"Before we close this meeting, is there anything you would like to add Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked, turning to the blonde.

"Just one, hokage-sama." He replied before turning to address the council. "While I reserve the right to chose my prospective wives, you are welcome to send your daughters to talk with me. However, I will not have anyone forced into a loveless marriage."

"Very good pup." The Inuzuka matriarch stated, a sense of pride for the boy swelling up inside her. _'Just as I thought, he will treat all the women he is with with love and respect.'_

"With that, I bring this meeting to a close." Hiruzen stated as he got up from his chair. "Neko, you may have the rest of the day off. Naruto-kun, please accompany me to my office so that I may give you your inheritance your parents left for you."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." The purple haired woman bowed before taking her mates hand and walking out of the room. Ignoring the glares coming from the civilian council.

Meanwhile, Hiashi was watching the two walk out the door. He knew the blonde was responsible for his daughters increased confidence, even if he didn't know the details as Hinata had been silent when approached about it. Though he wasn't to pleased about her new fashion sense. However, upon learning who Naruto was involved with, he knew who to blame. Though he couldn't help but chuckle silently at the whole ordeal.

The Hyuga elders had complained when she wasn't strong enough, now they were complaining she was too strong and that she lacked respect for their position. Many times, they had pushed to have the Caged Bird Seal placed upon her, in favor of her younger sister Hanabi becoming the clan heir. Now doubt thinking that the younger sister would be more malleable to their manipulations.

'_Perhaps I should send Hinata to court the boy.'_ The Hyuga Clan Head thought to himself. _'With the boy being from two notable clans, I can avoid having to put the seal on her and perhaps give her a chance to be happy for once.'_

Despite what many would believe, the man loved his daughters to death and hated seeing them pushed into a position of conflict with each other due to the clan elders staunch traditions.

'_Perhaps I should __also__ encourage Hanabi to visit her sister frequently afterwards to keep her from being manipulated by those old fossils.'_ He mused. How he hated the elders of his clan, and aimed to one day be rid of them. However, he had to wait for them to make a mistake. It was like a never ending game of Shogi between the two.

With a sigh, the Hyuga Head stood from his chair and left the room with the others.

* * *

**Hokage's Office**

A few minutes later found the young blonde back in the office of the village leader. Yugao had excused herself to hang up her gear, with the promise of meeting up with her mate at her and Anko's favorite dango stand.

"Now, you parents left me a few scrolls to pass on to you when I thought you were ready." Hiruzen stated as he laid five scrolls down on his desk. "These are the deeds to both of your parents respective clan compounds, as I am sure you are going to want to move out of that small apartment. Especially with your fiances."

"Thank's ji-ji." The blonde chuckled.

"So what are your plans, Naruto-kun?" The old man asked, curious as to what the young teen would do.

"Honestly, I am not sure." He admitted with a frown. "However, I am probably going to merge both bank accounts to make it easier to keep track of the funds, and keep my personal account was a reserve account."

"Well, they are yours to do with as you please." The old man stated with a kind smile, before rummaging through his desk, only to produce a small map with two red circles on it. "Here is the location of both compounds. I trust you will want to look over your parents estates."

"Thank's ji-ji." The boy smiled as he secured the inheritance scrolls into his jacket with a blood seal. "I will see about getting Anko-chan and Yugao-chan to help me move in."

"I'm sure they will be happy to." The elder man chuckled.

"I better get going, Yugao-chan won't be happy if I am late."

Hiruzen only chuckled as the blonde hanyou departed his office. The Old man couldn't help but think that his parents would be proud of the man he was becoming.

* * *

**With Yugao**

The purple haired ANBU woman was nervous and excited at the same time. The day had finally come that she could be openly affectionate with her mate, and she was looking forward to rubbing in the face of a certain individual that just couldn't get the hint that she was not interested in him in the slightest.

"Yugao-san, you got the day off?" Came a voice from behind her, prompting the purple haired beauty to look at the new comer.

"Hokage-sama gave me the afternoon off to spend time with my fiance." She answered honestly. Though she did have a bone to pick with the masked jonin. "I hear you had a busy month."

"You have no idea." He sighed, ordering a bottle of sake. "First the client lied about the mission, then having to fight against Zabuza. It was just one thing after another. Not to mention Naruto refusing to follow directions. I am just glad that Sasuke was there to pick up the slack."

Yugao narrowed her eyes at the silver haired jonin for the last comment. Though a small grin appeared on her face as she realized that he didn't know she was in the office when he had given his report to the Hokage.

"I also heard that you accused Naruto-kun of stealing my Moon Dance technique." She smirked.

'_Naruto-kun?'_ Kakashi pondered to himself. Wondering why an ANBU woman was referring to the blonde in such a way.

"I had assumed he did since you have refused to teach anyone your style." Kakashi tried to defend himself.

"I will make it clear, there is only one person who has stolen my technique, and that is Hayate." The purple haired woman seethed, still infuriated that the man had the audacity to not only steal her style, but completely butcher it.

"He was only trying to impress you." The silver haired man replied, not fully understanding why the woman refused to give his friend a chance.

"And he only insulted me." Yugao replied with venom.

"If you trained Naruto, maybe you would consider training Sasuke in kenjutsu." Kakashi suggested, trying to give his prized student an edge in his training.

"No." Was her short reply.

"Are you sure, Sasuke is a promising student and shows great potential in his training." The masked jonin attempted to elevate the boy higher to make him sound more enticing. "I would bet he would take to it faster then Naruto did."

"My answer is no, and that is final." Yugao stated matter of factly. "For the simple reason, the Uchiha doesn't respect the art of the sword. Naruto-kun does. That is why I trained him in my style."

Kakashi could only frown. A little disappointed that the woman wouldn't even consider training the last Uchiha. However, he knew there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Perhaps Hayate could train Sasuke in swords, since he was almost as good as Yugao.

"Hey Yugao-chan!" Anko exclained as she jumped on the back of the purple haired woman, eliciting a chuckle from Naruto as he walked up to join them. The two had met up as Naruto left the Hokage Tower and had decided to meet up with Yugao together. However, Naruto did not miss the frown on his sensei's face when he showed up.

"I was given the day off since we were light on prisoners today." The snake mistress stated happily as she sat down a stool away from the ANBU woman, allowing Naruto to sit between them.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were getting close with the clients daughter during our mission Naruto." Kakashi stated, eyeing the blonde and the snake mistress to gauge their reactions. "What was that about?"

"Taida-sensei, are you trying to imply that I am unfaithful to my mate?" The blonde questioned, hiding his smirk. From the corner of his eye, he could see the snake mistress doing her best to hold in her desire to burst out laughing.

"If the shoe fits." The masked jonin shrugged with a grin as he waited for the fireworks to start between the two.

"Were you flirting with another woman, Na-ru-to-kun?" Anko hissed out. Though the way she did it made her sound more seductive then upset.

"You know me Hebi-hime." The blonde shrugged. "I just can't resist strong and beautiful women."

"And what did I tell you about flirting with other women?" The snake mistress continued. Meanwhile Yugao was doing all she could to keep herself from laughing at the two.

"To invite you to join." Naruto replied, trying to sound depressed.

"Exactly." Anko stated. "As your punishment, you will have to make love to me until I am satisfied."

Kakashi could only stare in shock. He had expected yelling, screaming, and maybe even the blonde being slapped around. He was not expecting the snake mistress to actually encourage such behavior from the boy. Without a doubt, if he wasn't wearing his face mask, Kakashi's jaw would be on the floor right now.

"Not the reaction you were expecting Taida-sensei?" The blonde asked with a grin, earning a scowl from his supposed sensei while the two women burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer.

"So, how was she?" Anko asked innocently.

"Eight years of pent up frustration." He answered.

"Damn, and I thought I had it bad with only four years." The snake mistress stated.

"Yup, I don't think there was a single piece of furniture we didn't use in her new office after she was elected the new Wave Daimyo." He commented. "Desk, couch, chair, foot rest. Nothing was untouched."

Anko could only shake her head in response as she chuckled, imagining how it would be if they recreated the scene at home. Meanwhile, Kakashi had decided he had enough and got up to leave. Once more disappointed that things didn't go as he had hoped. However, shortly after the masked jonin had left, the groups conversation was interrupted once more.

"Yugao-chan." Hayate greeted as he approached the three. "You get the day off?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama gave me the rest of the afternoon off so that I may spend time with my fiance who had just gotten back from his mission." The purple haired woman replied, hiding her smirk.

'_**Here it comes Naruto-kun.'**_ Ahri giggled, as she could see what was about to happen.

'_Oh, he is going to hate me.'_ The blonde mentally chuckled, knowing full well what his mate was about to do.

'_**Too bad Taida-teme didn't stick around to see this.' **_The kitsune girl giggled.

"I see." The other man stated, taking a seat next to Yugao, trying to be as close to her as possible. "So, where is he?"

Not bothering to reply to the man, Yugao merely turned towards Naruto pulled him into a deep kiss in front of Hayate. However, she was not done with just that. As the two continued to kiss, their tongues fighting for dominance, the purple haired woman moved to straddle the blondes waist in the stool, allowing her hips to grind against his own. To push it even further, Naruto allowed his hands to wander down to her rear, giving it a good squeeze eliciting a moan from the woman.

Hayate couldn't believe what he was seeing. The woman that was the object of his desire was making out with a boy nearly half his own age. This caused anger to swell up inside him.

"Wha-what the hell is this?" He stammered, clearly infuriated at the sight. Prompting the two to end their dry humping session.

"That was me making out with my fiance." Yugao stated as she slipped out of Naruto's lap, though still held him in a loving embrace. Taking full advantage that she could be openly affectionate to her mate now.

"Now that that's out of the way." Naruto stated, a cold look on his face as he stared at the man that had been, for lack of a better word, stalking his fiance. "You will leave my fiance alone, Hayate Gekko."

"Are you fucking serious Yugao?" Hayate exclaimed, dropping the affection suffix from her name in his anger. "He is a fucking kid! A little fucking brat, you could do so much better with a real man like me!"

"The moment he put on his forehead protector, he became an adult and that is good enough for me." The purple haired woman grinned. Enjoying the show of man who had constantly harassed her blow a gasket.

"As fun as this is ladies, let's go check out the new place and get it ready for the party tonight." Naruto commented, chuckling at the man still seething in anger. Wrapping his arms around both of his girls, they trio made their way across the village where the Uzumaki compound was located.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

The three of them stood in front of a large pair of gates that had some vines covering them from the years of lack of use. Anko couldn't help but whistle at the impressive size of the place. On their way to the compound, Naruto had created about a dozen Shadow Clones to pack up his stuff from the apartment to begin moving it into his new home. As well as sending one to find and inform Sakura of his change of address.

"Well, let's see what's inside." The blonde replied as he cut his thumb and smeared the blood on the gate, activating the seals.

The three watched as the gates slowly opened, allowing them entrance to the property. To their surprise, despite the appearance of the outer gate, the inside looked as if it had been kept in perfect condition due to the seals that Kushina had put around the property to ensure everything was kept organized and well maintained.

"The wonders of seals." Naruto mused as he lead his two fiances into the home. "So, you two are going to move in with me, right?"

"You bet your ass I am!" Anko exclaimed. "And we are so using every piece of furniture in this house."

Yugao could only chuckled at her friend and future sister-wifes antics. Though she silently agreed that she would be moving in with her fiance. Clearly there was more then enough rooms as Kushina had intended to have a massive family.

For the next few hours, the three of them explored every inch of the compound. Anko making lewd suggestions of what position they would use in whatever room and so fourth. Meanwhile Yugao was fascinated by the size of the training yard behind the home, as it was clearly designed for a kenjutsu practitioner.

Naruto on the other hand, was looking over the countless pictures his mother had left in the house. Pictures of his great grandmother, Mito Uzumaki. Like his mother, she also had fiery red hair and piercing eyes. One thing he had noticed was that there was not a single picture of his father anywhere in the house. Almost as if he was erased from all of them. Probably through the use of some kind of seal, if he had to guess.

'_**Welcome home, Naruto-kun.'**_ Ahri smiled from inside his mind.

'_I just wish I could have grown up in this house with her.'_ He commented, allowing his finger to trace over a picture of his mother.

'_**I know Naruto-kun, but Kushina-chan wouldn't want you to dwell in the past.' **_She commented, earning a nod in agreement from her host.

'_Anyways, let's get ready for the party tonight.'_ He smiled as he turned his attention back towards his shadow clones that were beginning to unpack his belongings into the master bedroom. While Anko had claimed the one closest to it. The blonde could only chuckle, knowing full well that his snake mistress had plans for him tonight.

* * *

**Nighttime, Uzumaki Estate**

Sounds of laughter and cheerful chatter filled the compound for the first time in a long time as Naruto, Anko, Yugao, Hinata, and even Sakura chatted amongst each other. To the blonde hanyou's surprise, Hinata had told him that her father had 'given' her permission to seek out a relationship with the boy and had encouraged her to attend tonight's celebration.

Sakura on the other hand was completely shocked that not only was her blonde team mate engaged to both Anko and Yugao, but was also in a relationship with the Hyuga Heiress as well. However as she watched them converse, she could see how much the three loved him, and how he returned their love. Seeing this only made her fall for him more and reassured her that he would treat her the same when she finally worked up the courage to confess to him.

About two and a half hours into the party, an intoxicated Hinata and Anko and dragged Naruto away to his bedroom, leaving the cherry blossom alone with a chuckling Yugao. Meanwhile Inner Sakura was teasing her outer self with a play by play of what the three were about to do, even providing some mental images, though adding herself into the mixture. Prompting the poor pinkette to blush up a storm.

"So, your on the same team as Naruto-kun, huh?" Yugao inquired, striking up a conversation with the pinkette.

"Yeah." Sakura replied. "It's ironic now that I think about. At first I was disappointed to be on the same team as him, only to learn more from him in a matter of weeks then I ever did with Taida-sensei."

"Naruto-kun is an extremely skilled shinobi." The purple haired woman giggled. "He's had training from myself, Anko-chan, and others."

'_Wonder if the Kyuubi has helped train him.'_ The cherry blossom thought to herself, before slightly narrowing her eyes. _'But she said 'others', as in more then one. I wonder who they could be.'_

"So, when did you realize you were in love with Naruto-kun?" The ANBU woman smirked, as she gauged the reaction of her companion. Inwardly chuckling as she saw a blush creep across her face.

"Ho-how did you know?"

"It's written all over your face, and when ever you talk about him." Yugao answered.

"That obvious, huh?" The pinkette sounded a little depressed that the woman was able to read her to clearly.

"Chin up, I'm an ANBU." The other woman grinned. "I'm suppose to notice subtle things."

"I guess." Sakura smiled a little as she began to recall just when she realized she had fallen for her blonde team mate. "I guess I realized it when my 'mother' hugged me. It felt cold and restrictive. Not how when Naruto-kun hugged me, when it felt warm and comforting. Promising me that I would be safe."

"But if I had to guess when it started, I would say just before we left for our mission in Wave." She continued. "A few days before we left, he helped me train in stuff Taida-sensei hadn't even mentioned before. Even after I had been a complete bitch to him, he helped me train because he didn't want me to get hurt or killed on a mission."

"That's just how he is." Yugao smiled. She loved that her mate was compassionate to others, but at the same time she knew he could be down right cruel to those who deserved it.

"So, um, how did the three of you start dating Naruto-kun?" The pinkette asked, curious as to how it all happened.

"Well, some years ago Naruto-kun saved Anko-chan's life. Since then, she had been inseparable from him." The purple haired woman answered vaguely, not wanting to give away too much to the pink haired girl. "As for Hinata-chan, well the girl has always had a crush on him. And after he broke her out of her shyness, and boasted her confidence, it had only elevated her crush on him even more. Kind of funny now that her and Anko act like sisters."

"What about you?"

"My case is a bit more complex and simple at the same time." She sighed, wondering how to explain her attraction to her mate. "You see, both Naruto-kun and I were in an arranged marriage, and only found each other a few years ago."

"So you're parent's arranged it?" Sakura asked, a little confused since she knew Naruto's parents died the night he was born, now that she knew who his parents were. Granted, they could have arranged it before his birth, but that was unlikely.

"Ah! Jashin, right there Naruto-kun!" A voice screamed out from the bedroom, causing both girls to blush. Even more surprising was that it was Hinata's voice.

"Silencing seals!" Yugao called back, resulting in a string of curses from the trio in the room before they suddenly went silent.

"Jashin?" Sakura questioned, looking to the purple haired woman next to her.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag now, thanks to an orgasm." Yugao only chuckled. "I suppose I should explain. All of us are Jashinist. I grew up as one, where as Hinata and Anko converted a few years ago. However, do not lump us with those blood crazed cultist that spout they are doing the will of Jashin-sama. Jashin-sama only desires the souls of those who are tainted and corrupt and abhors the slaughter of the innocent."

"And what about Naruto-kun?" The pinkette asked, keeping herself composed as she took in this sudden dump of information.

"He is Jashin-sama's chosen champion." She simply answered, all the while keeping an eye on the pink haired girl.

'_So that is what he meant when he told Inari-san that he was a champion.' _Sakura mused to herself, thinking back to the small confrontation between Naruto and Tsunami's son.

"Does this revelation change the way you feel about him?" Yugao inquired.

"No." Was Sakura's answer. "It does not. I still love him."

"Perhaps tomorrow you should talk to him." The purple haired woman suggested before pushing herself off her seat. "I am going to head to bed, I have an early shift tomorrow."

"Good night, Yugao-san." The pinkette bid the ANBU woman farewell.

Now sitting alone, Sakura began to ponder what she had just learned. It seemed like in the past few weeks, everything she thought she knew was wrong. Sasuke was a selfish prick who only thought about himself, instead of her dream romance. Naruto was her dream romance, and not the idiotic knucklehead she thought him to be. The Kyuubi wasn't pure evil and had been used by another. And lastly, not all Jashinist were blood crazed killers.

Ironically, she believed both Naruto and Yugao. There was something in their eyes when the spoke about their respective topics that held truth and honesty.

'_**So tomorrow we are confessing to Naruto-kun right?'**_ Inner inquired.

'_Damn straight, I don't care if he is a full on demon.'_ Sakura mentally replied. _'I love him!'_

* * *

**The Next Morning**

The house was silent as the sun peeked over the village, in contrast to the celebration that had taken place the previous night. Only three people remained as both Anko and Yugao had to leave early for their respective jobs. Of the three remaining in the home, only two were awake as Hinata was still passed out from all the alcohol she had consumed the previous night.

"Morning Naruto-kun." Sakura greeted while she was cooking breakfast as the blonde entered the kitchen, getting a sense of deja vu from the previous morning at his old apartment.

"Morning Sakura-chan, um, sorry about last night." He greeted her, a bit embarrassed about not having the silencing seals up last night.

"It's okay Naruto-kun." She replied. "I was just surprised everyone in the house was a Jashinist."

Upon hearing this, Naruto had froze. Wondering how she had come across such information until he realized what Hinata had called out during her moment of ecstasy.

"Yugao-san explained it to me after the….well you know." She explained, blushing slightly at the memory. "She also suggested I should talk to you if I wanted to know more."

"I see." The blonde stated as he sat down at the table, while Sakura placed a plate of food in front of him. "Is there anything in particular you wanted to know?"

"I want to know about you, Naruto-kun." She replied as she sat next to him. "I mean, all about you."

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan?" He asked. "It may change how you feel about me."

"Didn't we already address this back in Nami no Kuni?"

"I guess we did." He chuckled. "Very well. I will tell you everything about me, for better or worse."

So, he began to tell the pinkette his tale. Everything that had happened to him since his early child hood beatings at the hands of the villagers, and even some of the shinobi. How the hospital would treat him after such attacks. The constant assassination attempts. Each making the pinkette feel more and more disgusted with the village she called home, though was surprised that the boy didn't seek any sort of revenge against them. Other then to simply prove them wrong. Worst of all, she knew her mother was responsible for most of these attacks.

Then came the big revelation, when he began talking about what had transpired on his sixth birthday. The final attack that had nearly killed him, and forced a meeting between him and the Kyuubi. His confrontation with his father's soul fragment that was left in the seal, and how Jashin had come to him and made him her champion. And finally, how he was now a half demon and how he became mated with Anko, then Yugao, Hinata, and finally Tsunami. Even explaining how the mate mark worked, as well as the benefits of being a hanyou. Through it all, the pinkette paid rapt attention to every detail.

"And that is everything there is to know about me." He finished, looking her in the eyes to gauge the girls reaction.

'_**Soo, we're going to get marked, right?'**_ Inner asked.

'_You're damn right we are!'_ She mentally replied, before smiling to the blonde before her. "Naruto-kun, all this still doesn't change the way I feel about you. If anything, I understand and respect you more for not giving in to petty vengeance."

"Thank you Sakura-chan." He smiled to the pinkette.

"However, I have one more question."

"What's that?"

"If you would allow it, I would love to be one of your mates." Sakura blushed as she got up from her seat and stood in front of him, her eyes never leaving his. Having finally openly confessed her feelings towards the blonde.

"Are you sure about this Sakura-chan?" He asked, wanting to make sure the pinkette was completely committed to her choice. "This is a life time bond, and as a hanyou we will live for hundreds of years, if not more."

"A millennium still wouldn't be long enough to express the love I have grown for you, Naruto-kun." She smiled.

"And you do know you will have to share, right?" He smiled, now he was just playing with her.

"I know, and I know you will end up attracting more girls. It's just who you are." Sakura replied with a grin as she pressed against him, wrapping her arms around him, while he returned the gesture. "But as long as I have a place in your heart, I don't care."

"Very well, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled as he leaned in towards her neck. "I will mark you as one of my mates."

With no hesitation, the blonde hanyou bit down onto her neck, prompting her to do the same. Mixing each others chakra together. Almost immediately, the pinkette could feel the difference. She could feel her own chakra reserves swell up, as well as her senses sharpening to an inhuman point. Physically, she could feel her muscles grow more dense, increasing her own stamina, speed, agility, and over all strength and durability.

After the marking was complete, both released the others necks and stared into each others eyes before their lips clashed together into a deep kiss. Their tongues twisting along one another's as they firmly embraced each other. Minutes passed before the two finally broke the kiss. Sakura's face red and flustered, but a look of happiness and contentment in her eyes.

"Welcome to the family, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And done.

Naruto is officially in the CRA, Anko groped Sakura, and our lovely cherry blossom has officially become one of Naruto's mates! And holy cow is this chapter long, I didn't expect it to go on this long, but I knew I wanted to end it with the scene between Naruto and Sakura as it was a scene I had been looking forward to since I began this story.

Anyways, as always. Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message!


	13. Chapter 13

**Authors Notes:** Well, the beginning of this chapter gave me a hard time. Just couldn't decide where I should start at. Every time I set myself to start at a certain point, I would always remember that I had to have something else take place before that. Though, I finally did set on a place to start that would allow me to set everything up.

Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed yet. After being marked, all the girls and Naruto have a tendency to refer to each other as their 'mate', instead of boyfriend, fiance, or lover. Their first word is almost always 'mate'. Kind of like hanyou a verbal tick they have.

Also, keep in mind that Kakashi doesn't know about Yugao being with Naruto as well. So that is going to be fun when he finds out.

**Thunderclaw03 –** No, Kakashi was not looking to get with Anko or any of Naruto's girls. He was merely trying to start drama between them as payback for the blonde constantly making Sasuke look bad, and not respecting him.

**AmbertheCat** – Yes, Sakura will be moving in with Naruto. Though she will have to fight with Anko for the closest room to him.

**Biginferno** – I don't have a full list of those that will be close to Naruto and those that will be relegated to other responsibilities away from him. It's something that I am compiling, though I can say that Tayuya and Kin for sure will be around him a lot.

**W01frunn3r – **Yup, Danzo is in on Minato's plan to make Naruto into a weapon to conquer the Elemental Nations. There are a few others that will be introduced a bit later. Some of which you may expect, others, maybe not so much.

**3headed-dragon –** I am going to have fun with everyone finding out about them, mainly Sakura's mothers reaction when she finds out. And both Sakura and Naruto are going to torment the hell out of Kakashi.

**Insanemaelstorm –** A lot are still going to be in denial about his heritage, but he doesn't care. Taida-sensei is going to continue digging his own hole. As for Hayate, he is rightfully embarrassed; but it won't be the last we see of him.

**The Dark Rose –** Yeah, she is becoming more and more like Anko every day. I am going to have to either do a scene or an Omake of Kurenai chewing her out for drinking too much.

**YeagerMeister31 –** Oh, he was tempted, but at the time he was being respectful towards his guest. Also, now that Sakura is with Naruto, expect to see them both being open about it. Though, there will still be those who surprisingly are clueless about it.

Also, I would like to take the time to thank **dingo-822** for pointing out a plot hole that I had opened up in the last chapter regarding Naruto being a hanyou but still being able to access blood seals despite his blood technically being altered. Fortunately, I have come up with a solution to that problem and I will have it explained when Jashin comes to visit.

Anyways, on with the story!

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 13

**Hokage's Office**

Hiruzen studied the two genin that now stood in front of his desk. He could see in the change of posture between the two that something had happened between them, though in an obvious good way. The pink haired kunoichi now stood much closer to her blonde team mate, almost wrapping her arm around his. The old man could only inwardly smile at this.

"Now, Sakura-san, Naruto-kun. The reason I have summoned you here is to discuss something important regarding the current state of Team 7." The village leader began. "Due to the recent events, I am giving the two of you the opportunity to become part of a different team."

"I understand Ji-ji." Naruto replied before looking to his pink haired mate. "But it is up to Sakura-chan if she wants to move to another team or not. As she was the one who was most affected."

The pinkette frowned at the memory, with only a minor flinch. Thinking over the multiple possibilities with being on an actual team with a sensei who would actually train them to become stronger. It was then she realized she already had a sensei who did just that.

"I don't trust the Uchiha or Taida-sensei." Sakura spoke. "And it is for that reason, I will stay with Team 7."

Naruto merely smiled, as he had a feeling why she was making this choice. Hiruzen on the other hand was completely shocked that the girl would choose to remain on a team with those she didn't trust.

"Care to explain your decision?" He asked.

"Of course, Hokage-sama." She replied. "If Naruto-kun and I were to move to another team, Team 7 would have to get two new team mates that will put their trust in Sasuke and Kakashi. Which runs a high possibility of the Uchiha sacrificing them to save himself, maybe this time even killing one or both of his new team members. Naruto-kun and I know not to let our guard down around them."

"Very well thought out." The Hokage smiled.

The old man was proud that the girl had thought that far ahead. He also couldn't fault her logic, as he knew the arrogant boy would attempt something similar once more. It only infuriated him further when the Elder Council blocked all efforts to punish the boy in any capacity for his actions, citing that it was a necessary sacrifice to protect the Sharingan.

"I accept your decision, Sakura-san." Hiruzen stated. "You two are free to go, have a good day."

"Thank you Hokage-sama/Ji-ji." They both replied at the same time before departing the office.

'_You're turning into a real lady killer, Naruto-kun.' _The old man smiled as he went back to reading his favorite orange book, whilst his shadow clones continued their ever lasting battle against the dreaded beast known as paperwork

* * *

**With Naruto and Sakura**

"So, what are your plans for today, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked as they left the Hokage Tower.

"Well, I still have to go through the Namikaze compound and see if there is anything useful the bastard left." Naruto replied, not hiding his disdain toward his father as Sakura already knew. "But before that, I have someone I need to talk to."

"I am guessing it's another girl?" She smirked.

"Yeah." The blonde chuckled. "Ayame-chan has had a crush on me since I was 7, and has turned down every other guy who has approached her. So I made a promise to myself that once I was in the CRA I would talk to her, and see where it goes from there."

"To be honest, I am unsure how she will feel about her having to share me with other women." He sighed.

"If she loves you as much as the rest of is, I am sure she will accept it." The pinkette reassured the blonde.

"Thanks Sakura-chan." He smiled. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping I could move in with you." She blushed, earning a smile from her mate. "If that's alright."

"Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "You are more then welcome to live with me. I've already keyed you and the others into the compounds security seals."

"Thank you." She whispered, tears forming in her eyes. Despite taking his mark, and becoming his mate, it still felt surreal for Sakura. She half expected that at any moment she would be woken up from a dream.

"I guess I should go pack my stuff, while my 'mother' is out." She smiled, venom dripping from the word mother. "I would rather avoid her as much as possible."

"I understand." Naruto replied. He could only wonder what had transpired between the pinkette and her mother, but he knew not to push it. She would tell him when she was ready.

Leaning in, he gave her a small kiss goodbye before the two went their separate ways.

* * *

**With Sakura**

The pinkette couldn't help by smile as she made her way to her mothers house, ignoring some of the looks that she got for being in such a happy mood. The past twenty four hours have been like a dream come true for her. Though she couldn't help but mentally chuckle at the irony of it all.

The one boy she had considered an idiot and in less then kind words, a complete loser, had ended up being the perfect mate for her. After actually getting to know him, she found his idiocy was all an act he had put on to throw people off. Revealing him to be incredibly intelligent and skilled. Not to mention the amount of compassion he still had, despite everything the villagers had done to him. Even his own father.

This had prompted the pinkette to frown at the memory. She still couldn't believe the revered Yondamie was such a vile person. Sacrificing his own son to be made into a mindless weapon to conquer the Elemental Nations, and probably would have succeeded if Jashin had not gotten involved. Sakura didn't even want to imagine what would have happened had the goddess of blood and carnage had not intervened.

This of course prompted her to think of what she had learned from Yugao the previous night. Her mate was the goddesses champion and all of her future sister-wives were Jashinist.

'_**Still thinking if we should convert?'**_ Inner spoke up, breaking the pinkette out of her musings.

'_Yeah.'_ She mentally replied. _'I know what Yugao-san said about the cultist, but am not sure what to do.'_

'_**Well, perhaps we should talk to her.'**_ Inner suggested. _**'She seems to be the most experienced in the religion.'**_

'_I guess you're right.' _

Making a mental note to visit her future sister-wife later, the pinkette continued her trek towards her now former home. Silently hoping that her mother was out of the house. After the exchange yesterday, she really didn't want to be anywhere near the woman unless absolutely necessary. It only took a few more moments for her to arrive. Taking a deep breath, she entered the house and hoped for the best.

Quickly, she moved upstairs to her room, grabbing her cloths, and various other personal items that she wanted to keep and sealing them into the sealing scrolls she had brought with her. Though she did make sure to dismantle and throw away her shrine of the last Uchiha. Smashing it to pieces before tossing it in the trash bin. However, the pinkette's luck couldn't hold out forever as she heard the door down stairs shut, signifying that her mother was home.

'_Shit.'_ She cursed to herself.

'_**We were going to run into her sooner or later, may as well get it over with.'**_

'_No, if she learns we moved in with Naruto-kun she will be a massive problem for all of us.'_ Sakura argued. _'Need to come up with an excuse.'_

'_**Blend the truth.'**_ Inner offered. _**'We already need to talk to Yugao-san, we can always say we are going to ask her for additional training.'**_

'_Even though it is frowned upon to seek out another teacher while already having a sensei.'_ Sakura mentally snorted, mocking her current sensei and earning a chuckle from her inner self. _'Still, it is a good cover.'_

With her mind made up, she quickly stored the scrolls she had packed in her vest that she wore. With Naruto's help, he had set up the same seals inside her vest to allow her to carry a limited amount of supplies and items on her at all times. She really had to thank him for teaching her the finer qualities of fuinjutsu.

Taking another deep breath, she made her way downstairs to come face to face with her mother who was sitting in the living room area.

"Oh there you are dear." Her mother spoke, looking up from the cup of tea she had. "I was worried when you didn't come home last night."

"I went out to train and lost track of time, so I stayed over at a friends house." She lied.

"This friend wouldn't happen to be Sasuke would it, dear?" Mebuki pushed. "I won't be mad if you two decided to start working on a family early. Just so you know dear."

There mere thought disgusted the pinkette.

"Anyways, I need to head out again." Sakura said, completely disregarding her mothers comment about the emo bastard.

"Oh, where are you going dear?"

"I want to find Yugao-san and ask if she can help me train more." The pinkette replied. "I am considering taking up kenjutsu."

It did not go unnoticed how her mother flinched when she had heard the name, prompting Sakura to subtly raise an eye brow.

"I would much rather you look to someone else for extra training dear." Mebuki stated, her voice shaking slightly. Memories of the ANBU's blade at her neck resurfacing to the forefront of her mind. "I am sure Sasuke would be happy to teach you in private."

"Why not, Yugao-san is one of the strongest kunoichi in the village and the best kenjustsu specialist we have." the pink haired hanyou replied, hiding her smirk just seeing her mother flinch every time the ANBU's name was mentioned.

"Despite her kunoichi skills, she has poor taste in friends and lovers." Her mother snidely replied. "Hanging with that Snake Whore, and her fiance is even worse. Both of them should have been publicly executed a long time ago."

Sakura could only clench her fist as her mother degraded and wish death upon one of her future sister-wives and her mate. She could feel her anger swelling up inside her, as she felt a strong urge to smash her mother into the ground relentlessly. It wasn't until she felt something poking her bottom lip did she realize that her canines had elongated, prompting her to reel in her anger and compose herself.

"Either way, I am seeking her out for more training." The pinkette simply replied, taking deep breaths to keep herself calm. "Unless you want me to be killed on my next mission outside the village."

Not giving her mother time to reply, she quickly departed the house. Before she talked to Yugao, she desperately needed to vent some anger in one of the training grounds.

* * *

**With Naruto**

After parting with his pink haired mate, the blonde hanyou strode through the village towards his favorite ramen stand. Ignoring the various glares he received, though the number of them had been reduced significantly after he graduated and became a genin and had begun to make a name for himself within the village. Namely through the onslaught of D-rank missions his team had received. Fortunately, none have been stupid enough to actually attack him.

"Hey pup." A voice called out from behind him, breaking him out of his musings. Turning, he saw the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan making her way towards him. "Been looking for you."

"Good morning Tsume-san." He greeted her. "What can I do for you?"

"Been meaning to talk to you." The feral woman replied, thinking of how she was going to approach this. Being an Inuzuka, she had opted to go for the blunt approach.

"I get the feeling it has something to do with my entrance into the CRA." Naruto smiled. He did say they could send their daughters if they wished. Though he wasn't expecting the Inuzuka woman to actually approach him. If anything he expected one of the snobby civilian council members to try and pawn off one of the daughters to increase their own social standing.

"Yes and no." She grinned. "You see, my oldest pup has quite the crush on you."

"I see." The blonde stated. "How about Hana-san and yourself come over to my compound tomorrow for a lunch."

"Your compound?"

"After yesterday's meeting, I moved into my mothers old compound." Naruto explained.

"Alright, I will tell Hana. Around noon sound good?"

"I'll have everything ready, Tsume-san." The blonde replied. "I look forward to seeing you both tomorrow."

After the short exchange, Naruto continued on his way towards the ramen stand. Though in the back of his mind Ahri was teasing him of being bold to invite a mother and daughter duo on a lunch date. Though the blonde only shrugged it off as a friendly lunch, though he did have to decide what to make for them to eat. Knowing the Inuzuka clan, it had to be something with lots of meat. However, he would worry about that later. Right now, he had a feeling something was off.

* * *

**Twenty Minutes Later**

Naruto's feeling was confirmed that something was not right when he approached the ramen stand and saw that it was completely shuttered down. Approaching the stand, he could her soft sobbing coming from inside. Walking around into the alleyway, the blonde hanyou melted into the shadows, only to reappear inside the stand itself. Greeted by the sight of Teuchi with tears streaming down his face as he counted a large sum of money.

"What's wrong Teuchi-oji-san?" Naruto asked, completely scaring the wits out of the poor older man.

"Nar-Naruto! How did you get in here?" He stammered, completely thrown off by the sudden appearance of his favorite customer.

"I'm a ninja!" The blonde stated, trying to lighten the mood slightly before he turned serious. "But what happened? Why are you crying and bundling all your money?"

"They took her." He whispered, just barely audible to the blonde. "And if I don't pay them what they want, they will send her back in pieces."

This caused the blonde to scowl.

"Where are you suppose to meet them?" He asked coldly, not even wondering why the man didn't go to the Hokage about the kidnapping.

"If they suspect anyone else but me, they will kill her!" Teuchi argued.

"Teuchi-oji-san, tell me where they are." Naruto repeated. "And I will bring Ayame-chan home and make sure none of them will see the sun set this day."

The two stared at each other for a handful of seconds before the older man relented and told Naruto the location where the bandits were that had kidnapped his daughter. The old ramen chef could see an icy determination in the blondes eyes that spoke volumes that he would fulfill his promise.

Receiving the location, Naruto quickly melded into the shadows to begin his hunt. The blonde hanyou was behind livid that one of his precious people was in danger, and he would ensure that those responsible would be punished.

It didn't take him long to arrive just outside the camp that the bandits were occupying. From his perch on the branch high above the camp, he scoured the sight below him. Looking for any trace where Ayame was before he made his move against the bandits. A second later, the sound of whimpering caught his attention. There, just outside the camp site was Ayame. Tied to a tree, though thankfully she looked unharmed.

Though he didn't know for how much longer as two of the bandits were approaching her. One of which was getting to close and tracing his fingers along her face causing her to flinch at his touch. She then began to hyperventalate as the mans hand traveled further down her body, looking to grope her breast before the other bandit stopped him.

"You know the rules." The other man spoke. "No one is allowed to touch her until the boss gets his fill first, after we get the money and kill the old man."

'_So they were planning on just kill Teuchi-oji-san anyways.'_ Naruto narrowed his eyes, waiting for the moment to strike, as soon he could guarantee that Ayame would not be harmed by his actions.

"Then the boss should be here already." The first man shot back. "Besides, a little taste won't hurt if the boss doesn't know."

"Whatever, I warned you." The other man replied before turning and walking away. Not wanting to be a witness for the mans stupidity.

'_Perfect.'_ Naruto thought as he spied a shadow just between Ayame and the man that was continuing to try and grope her.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Naruto melded into the shadows and shot out of the shadow between the bandit and the ramen chefs daughter. Completely taking the assailants head off before he had a chance to react. Landing on the ground, Naruto quickly turned and cut Ayame free from her bonds, prompting her to embrace him in a tight hug and bury her face into his chest.

"It's okay Ayame-chan, I'm here." He soothed. Taking his jacket off and wrapping it around her. Wrapping his arms around her, he allowed them both to meld into the shadows, reemerging a short distance away.

"Ayame-chan, stay here, cover your ears and close your eyes." Naruto instructed as he sat her down. "I don't want you to see what I am about to do to these bastards."

The brunette young woman only nodded her head and did as she was told as Naruto melded into the shadows once more. Even though her ears were covered, she could still hear the muffled screams of pain and horror of her captors a short distance away before everything went silent. The next thing she knew, she was in another warm embrace. Taking the chance to open her eyes, she found herself looking into the cerulean pools of her blonde crush, causing her to blush slightly.

"It's over." He whispered to her. "I've made sure they will never harm you or anyone else again."

Tears once more flowed freely out of her eyes as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. Enjoying the warm feeling of his hug and his gentle caress as he rubbed her back up and down. Comforting her. So comforting that she ended up falling asleep in his embrace, causing him to chuckle slightly.

"Let's get you back to the old man." He whispered as he picked her up bridal style and melded into the shadows one more time.

* * *

**Ramen Ichiraku**

Teuchi had calmed down slightly after Naruto had left, though he had still not opened the stand. Many scenario's played out through his head. Positive thoughts of the blonde walking through the front gates with his daughter in hand, to more depressing thoughts of both being returned in boxes. However, his latter thoughts were thankfully proven wrong as the blonde boy in question stepped out of the shadows with Ayame asleep in his arms. The older man could only look upon her sleeping form in pure happiness and relief as she snuggled closer to the blondes chest.

"The bandits have been taken care of." Naruto said in a soft voice. "And they were planning on killing you after you paid them anyways."

"Thank you for bringing her back." Teuchi stated, tears of happiness evident in his eyes. "From now on, you can eat here for free."

"That won't be necessary Teuchi-oji-san." The blonde smiled. "I wanted to talk to her anyways, but it can wait until she has recovered."

"What about?"

"Well, yesterday I was approved to enter into the Clan Restoration Act." Naruto began. "And I have known that Ayame-chan has had a crush on me ever since I was eight, so I had vowed that she would be one of the first ones I ask. However, I want to take it slow and make sure she knows everything first."

"While I am not fond of the idea of my daughter being part of a harem of sorts." Teuchi began. "You still went out and risked yourself to save her and bring her back home. That alone earns you my blessing if she accepts."

"I accept." A voice stated, causing both to cast their eyes towards the now awake Ayame in the blondes arms, who was now blushing up a storm. Gently Naruto set her on her feet, though she still clung to his arm.

"Are you sure Ayame-chan?" The blonde asked, not fully aware of how much she had actually heard and if she knew what it all entailed. Not to mention the other secrets he would have to share with her.

"I am Naruto-kun." She smiled. "And I know that you will have other wives as well. Even still, you are the only man for me and tou-san has already given us his blessing."

"Still, let's take it slow." He smiled. "How about a date this Friday?"

"Pick me up at six." She smiled once more, leaning up and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I may have given you my blessing Naruto," The older man started. "But if you break her heart I will break you."

"Tou-san, stop trying to threaten my boyfriend." Ayame cast a glare at her father.

"Just trying to put the fear of Jashin into him." Teuchi stated before realizing that he had said that in front of the blonde, and earning himself another hard glare from his daughter.

"So you follow Jashin-chan then?" Naruto asked with a slight smirk. In all honesty, he really wasn't surprised. In between the Fire Daimyo's wife and the Wave Countries new Daimyo, the blonde hanyou was no longer surprised anymore. Hell, the Hokage himself could proclaim himself to be a Jashinist, and it wouldn't even faze him.

"We both do." Teuchi sighed as he knew the cat was already out of the bag.

"Wait? Jashin-chan?" Ayami inquired, quirking her eyebrow at her now boyfriend.

Naruto only smiled as he gently removed his jacket from the brunette woman and turned it around so they could both see the prominent design on the back. Both of which immediately wanted to slap their forehead for not seeing it before, despite the many times the blonde has been to their stand.

"I am Jashin-chan's chosen champion." He grinned at the dumbstruck look of the father and daughter jashinist duo.

* * *

**Hokage's Office**

Hiruzen frowned as he read over the scroll he had just received from the newly elected Wave Daimyo. While the mission was a success, the report from Tsunami did not paint the Uchiha or Kakashi in a good light. In truth, the mission only succeeded because of Naruto. Despite the woman's relationship with the blonde, she gave a fair observation report of what she had witnessed and her thoughts on how the team performed.

She had outlined the blatant favoritism the jonin sensei had shown, the arrogance the Uchiha had displayed. Even relaying how the raven haired boy had essentially abandoned the client in a rage thrown fit when Naruto had refused to teach him any of his techniques.

Furthermore, what infuriated the aged Hokage even more was how Kakashi had tried to persuade the young blonde to hand over his techniques. Along with the Wave Daimyo's report, were other detailed accounts from various villagers that had witnessed the teams actions. Naruto's name always stood out, along with Sakura's, the most in helping the villagers.

Hell, even Haku and Zabuza got recognized for helping the village, and they were working for Gato at the time.

"Neko!" Hiruzen called out. In the blink of an eye, the cat masked ANBU was in front of his desk. "Bring me Jonin Kakashi."

"Hai!" Neko stated before leaving in a swirl of leaves.

The Hokage didn't have to wait long before Neko returned with a calm and relaxed lazy jonin.

"Jonin Hatake." The village leader began. "I just received the report from the Wave Daimyo and other testaments from her villagers."

"The mission was a success, is there a problem?" He lazily replied.

"These are the scrolls from the villagers of Wave." Hiruzen stated, gesturing towards a small pile on his desk. "All of them have detailed recounts of Team 7's activities throughout the mission. All of them send praise to Naruto-kun and Sakura-san. None mention you or the Uchiha. Tell me, why is it that both Zabuza and Haku are praised by the villagers and the two of you are not?"

"Due to Naruto's relationship with the current Wave Daimyo, I would say that the report is biased to be in Naruto's favor." Kakashi replied.

"I am well aware of Naruto-kun's relationship with Tsunami." The elder man stated. Which was true, during their talks about him entering the Clan Restoration Act, the blonde had come clean about his and Tsunami's relationship. "However, her report is unbiased."

To further prove his point, Hiruzen tossed the Daimyo's report to the silver haired jonin so that he could read it for himself.

"I am also well aware of your favoritism towards Genin Uchiha." He continued. "I let it slide because at the time I had faith that you would not let your vow to you former team mate get in the way of your judgment. I am quickly losing that faith in you, Jonin Hatake."

"I apologize Hokage-sama." The lazy jonin bowed before the elder man. "I will aim to train my team better."

"That means your entire team Hatake, not just the Uchiha." Hiruzen firmly warned the jonin before him. Now as punishment for your actions in Nami no Kuni, your pay will be cut in half for the next three months."

Kakashi could only balk at this.

"And I better not hear of you blaming Naruto-kun for this. This is due to your actions, not his." Hiruzen warned. "You are dismissed."

With a solemn nod, the lazy jonin disappeared in a shunshin.

* * *

**With Sakura**

Having quickly dropped off the scrolls in her newly selected room that was next to Anko's, Sakura had set out to train for the day. There was still plenty in the scrolls that Naruto had given her that she wanted to work on. Knowing she would have a chance to talk to Yugao later this evening when the ANBU woman would arrive home. Perks of all of them living under the same roof.

Now Sakura found herself at Training Ground 7. She didn't know why she chose this one from all the others that were scattered throughout the village. Perhaps it was the fact that this was the training field that they had become a team, however that concept didn't sit well with her. No, if she had to put her finger on it, this was were she first got a glimpse of how skilled Naruto really was. It was also here that her inner self had begun to open her eyes about Naruto.

So, for the next three hours the pinkette had her Shadow Clones toss water and earth jutsu's around while she herself would work on her taijutsu with another one of her clones. Leaning up against one of the posts, the pinkette now covered in mud could only chuckle to herself at the changes. Before, she could only make three clones at most. Now, she could make at least a dozen with ease. Not to mention her stamina was through the roof from what it once was.

However, her good mood was soon soured with the arrival of a raven haired emo.

"Tch, what are you doing here loser?" The Uchiha asked, or rather demanded.

"If you must know, I was training." Sakura sneered as she prepared to leave the training ground. Not wanting to be around her former obsession.

"Like you train." Sasuke commented.

"How would you know if I train or not if you're always being dragged off alone in the forest with Taida-sensei" The pinkette shot back with a mischievous smirk. "Then again, that would explain why he could never get a girlfriend, and you always turned down ever girl."

Sasuke scowled at the implications his team mate was making. Not to mention it was so unlike her. She should be groveling at his feet, begging for a date. Not implying that he was in an inappropriate relationship with Kakashi. Clenching his fist in anger, the emo scoffed at the now retreating form of his team mate.

It was only then that he noticed the condition the training field was in. Mud and water strewn all across it as well as massive craters and other forms of damaged terrain.

'_How the hell did she get this strong?'_

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** Alright, Ayame is now part of Naruto's girls, though she still needs to go through the whole marking process. Though with Naruto being her knight in shining armor, I don't think she is going to have a problem with the whole hanyou thing.

Also, we got to see Kakashi get chewed out by the Hokage and have his pay cut for the next three months. That's going to hurt his Icha Icha collection.

Aside from that, it was also a busy day for Sakura as she had a run in with her mother and with the King of Emos himself. So it was a pretty eventful day for her.

As always, leave your thoughts and comments in your reviews!


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors Notes:** Alright, let's recap.

Naruto rescued Ayame from her kidnappers, and it was revealed that both her and her father are Jashinist. The kidnapping is also a reference to the Shinobi Chef from the series, but I decided to take it into a more darker form. So now, Ayame is officially one of Naruto's girls, she just needs to get marked. Which may happen on their date. Also, he has to meet with Tsume and her daughter.

After a short confrontation with her mother, Sakura has moved in to Naruto's compound. Right now, she is keeping her relationship with Naruto a secret from her mother to avoid any unneeded complications. Not to mention her small exchange with the King of Emos himself, who is going to start to see just how strong Sakura really is.

Lastly, Kakashi got called out by the Hokage for his blatant favoritism with his students, and punished due to his actions making the village as a whole look bad in front of the client.

**Drakensong24 –** Here you go, another dose of Darkness Falls, just as the doctor ordered.

**ThunderClaw03 –** Mainly because it's prohibited to attack fellow shinobi unless being assaulted first. Also, the Elder Council protects the hell out of the duck ass.

**3headed-dragon –** Sasuke isn't going to be too happy. He may have called Sakura weak and pathetic, but he loved the attention he got from her and the rest of his fan girls. Now that that's gone, he will be brooding even more. As for Mebuki, going to be fun when she finally finds out. However, she won't fully find out until the Chuunin Exams.

**YeagerMeister31 – **Yup, all those bandits went straight to Jashin-sama.

**Thor94 –** Yeah, his punishment was soft but that's not the only way he will be punished. Both Sakura and Naruto have no trust in him as a teacher, which is going to make him look extremely bad in front of the other Jonin Sensei's. As for Sasuke, as mentioned above, the Elder Council protects him, but he will get his.

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

Still taking ideas for how Naruto can meet some of his girls, so keep them coming!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 14

**Inuzuka Compound**

Hana was nervous, as she moved through her room in a frantic manner as thoughts kept racing through her mind of endless scenarios. A few moments ago, she was summoned by her mother to discuss an important lunch that the two of them would be attending. At first it didn't seem like a big deal to the oldest Inuzuka child, until her mother uttered one name.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Which had immediately lead to the young woman's current predicament. What to wear. Cloths were strewn all over the room, as the Inuzuka woman looked for something presentable to wear. She wanted to look her best for Naruto. This of course had prompted an onslaught of laughter and teasing from her mother. Though she could feel that despite the teasing, her mother was glad that she finally showed interest in a boy.

A short, playful howl from one of her ninken got her attention. Turning, she saw one of her companions with a familiar looking clothing in it's mouth.

"That was the same outfit I wore that day." She mused, remembering back to the day when she first met the blonde.

_Flashback no Jutsu_

_Hana watched with a heavy blush as the members of Team 7 unloaded the wagon of supplies that had just arrived for the veterinary she ran. Namely due to the teams blonde, whom had removed the jacket he was wearing and was easily lifting bags that weighed well over one hundred pounds with on hand. Not to mention, each time he lifted one of the heavy bags, she caught an eyeful of his muscles. All in all, there was only one word she could use to describe him._

_Alpha._

_A few more hours passed Hana had offered to get something for the team to eat for lunch, though the only one she got a real reply from was Naruto, as she learned his name was, from the pink banshee that was constantly yelling at him for making her precious Sasuke-kun look weak. Which she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Where as Naruto was easily lifting the heavy food bags, the raven haired emo was struggling to carry just one._

_While the rest of is team took a break, Naruto continued to work. Having finished unloading the cart, he had set to work in the inventory room. Cataloging the supplies that had just arrived and organizing them into their proper places. It was then however, that frantic shouting from inside the vet had caught his attention._

"_I need a room, now!" Hana shouted in hysteria, carrying one of her ninken that was now laying limp in her arms. Tears in her eyes. "Kaito was bitten by a snake!"_

_The nurses on hand quickly opened the door, allowing Hana to bring her partner into the room. It was around this time that Naruto had arrived to see what the commotion was about._

"_What did the snake look like?" One of the nurses asked as they began to check the patient._

"_I-I don't know." Hana stammered as she tried to recall seeing a snake, but she could only draw a blank as everything had happened so fast._

"_Hana-san, we can't administer an anti-venom if we don't know the species of snake." The nurse stated in a serious tone, though her voice carried a weight of concern as well._

"_What's going on?" A voice asked from the door. Both women turned to see Naruto standing at the door, but his eyes were locked on the prone ninken on the table. Quickly he moved into the room and began checking over the canine._

"_Kaito was bitten by a snake while we were out near the Forest of Death." Hana sobbed, trying to compose herself in her state of panic. "I-I don't know what snake it was. I never saw it."_

_Naruto only nodded his head in response, focusing purely on the now named Kaito in front of him._

'_Let's see, labored breath. Lymph nodes are swollen around the puncture area.' Naruto began to note mentally. 'And heart rate is erratic.' _

_However one thing that had really tipped him off was the scent. The snake they had encountered was a pit viper. Though the lingering scent smelled sterile, similar to how Mizuki smelled before Naruto had killed him weeks prior._

"_He was bitten by a pit viper." The blonde stated, immediately prompting Hana to rush to the cooling unit inside the room and retrieve the proper anti-venom._

"_How do you know?" The nurse asked._

"_Labored breath, swelling of the lymph nodes at the bite area, and change of heart rate." Naruto pointed out. "All symptoms of a viper bite."_

_The blonde then looked over to see Hana's hands shaking as she tried to ready the syringe. Though it was clear in her state of mind that she was having trouble. Gently, Naruto placed his hands over hers, prompting her to look at him. Giving her a warm smile he took the bottle and syringe and readied it for the injection._

"_Don't worry Hana-chan, Kaito will be alright." He told her, causing her to smile despite all the tears in her eyes._

_Turning back to the canine, Naruto prepped the syringe and injected the anti-venom, all the wall stroking the large dogs fur and whispering comforting words to him until the syringe was empty. Slowly removing it, capping it, and properly disposing of it. The nurse still in the room quickly moved forward to check Kaito's vitals. Relaying the heart rate was stabilizing and the breathing was becoming normal._

"_I think he just needs some rest for now." The nurse smiled as she finished her report, clearly impressed by the instinct the blonde had._

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you." Hana repeated as she smothered the blonde in a hug, burying her face into his chest. She gasped in shock as a pair of strong arms returned the embrace._

"_You're welcome." He smiled at her, causing her to blush at the close proximity._

_For the next two hours, the two sat and talked while they waited for Kaito, who was now laying at Hana's feet, regained mobility. During this time, Naruto had sent out a shadow clone to continue the rest of the work while he conversed with the young Inuzuka woman. At first sight it would appear that he was slacking off on his given mission by having his shadow clone do it, but in reality he was working to calm Hana further. Despite her ninken now out of danger, she was still emotionally scared from the event._

_It wasn't until the end of the day, when Team 7 had bid their good byes, well mostly just Naruto bidding her good bye; which of course earned him another hug from the Inuzuka, did she realize that she had a crush on the blonde._

_After all, he was everything she could want in a mate. _

_Flashback no Jutsu Dispel_

"Thank you, Kaito." She smiled as she took the outfit and proceeded to get dressed. "Come on you three."

At the command, all three of her ninken got up from their relaxed positions and followed their partner out of the bedroom, though Kaito took the lead of the pack.

* * *

**Uzumaki Compound**

It was nearing noon when Naruto began setting the dinning table. He had prepared an assortment of meats for the Inuzuka women that were due over any moment now. Everything from pork ribs, to thick steaks, and even some more exotic meats that he had found. To accompany the meal, he had selected a few bottles of red wine. Now, all he had to do was wait for his guests to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long as a bell chimed throughout the house, signaling that his guests had arrived at the front gate. Smiling, he pushed his chakra into a seal on the wall that allowed entrance to his two guests, meanwhile he moved to greet them at his front door.

"Welcome to my home, Tsume-san, Hana-chan." The blonde greeted the two, before turning his attention to the four ninken that had accompanied the two Inuzuka women. "And good to see you all again too."

Naruto couldn't help but smile to himself as he recognized that the younger Inuzuka woman was wearing the exact same outfit she had worn the day the two of them had met. The blonde hanyou had a feeling that she had done that on purpose, not that he minded. He had to admit that she was beautiful, not to mention she was a very capable kunoichi.

It actually came to a surprise to him when he had learned that she was still single and had refused to acknowledge any other male in the village. Any suitors that came to court her were immediately rejected. Which had caused a bit of tension between the civilian council and the Inuzuka clan, as a fair chunk of those suitors were the sons of some of the council members.

"Thank you for inviting us over, pup." Tsume responded, meanwhile eyeing the banquet that the blonde had prepared for them. "Everything looks so mouth watering. Did you prepare this yourself?"

"I did." Naruto replied with a grin, causing the two Inuzuka women's eyes to widen in surprise. "And thanks to Hana-chan, I knew what to make for the both of you."

The younger woman couldn't help but blush.

"Anyways, let's dig in." The blonde stated.

Not arguing the two join their host at the table, though Tsume had ensured that Hana sat beside Naruto. This of caused the poor girl to blush even further due to her mothers actions of forcing her to sit next to her crush. If Naruto noticed, he gave no indication that said otherwise.

"That was delicious." Tsume commented as she leaned back in her chair, with Hana nodding in agreement. "Though I suppose we should talk about the reason we are here."

Naruto nodded, sitting up in his chair and placing his elbows on the table as he crossed his fingers in front of his face. This of course prompted Hana to become worried.

"Well pup, as I already said, since you are in the Clan Restoration Act." Tsume began, meanwhile eyeing her daughter's reaction. "I would ask that you give my oldest pup, Hana, a chance."

"Kaa-san!" Hana exclaimed, completely thrown off with what her mother had just said.

"Oh shush, pup." The Inuzuka matriarch grinned. "The entire compound knows that you have a crush on Naruto, and he has been the only boy you have taken an interest in. Also, two of his fiances are two of your best friends."

This caught Hana's attention as she looked at her mother.

"Anko-chan and Yugao-chan are also my fiances." Naruto spoke up.

The younger Inuzuka woman could only look on in shock. Two of her best friends were already engaged to her crush. It was then that a thought had struck her. How could she had not noticed that Anko was dating Naruto? It wasn't like the snake mistress was quiet about it, as she had constantly bragged about her blonde stud.

Then she recalled after her crush on Naruto had developed and she talked with Anko and Yugao about it during one of their outings with just the three of them. Anko had merely grinned and told her to go for it, accompanied by an approving nod from the purple haired ANBU woman. Remembering this, Hana's eyes widened.

'_They were giving me permission to seek out a relationship with their mate.'_ Hana thought to herself.

"However, I get the feeling there is more to this." Naruto spoke up once more, breaking Hana out of her thoughts.

"You're right pup." The elder woman sighed. "Hana has had many suitors come for her over the past few years. A good number of them being related to the civilian council in some way, shape, and form. Each time she had turned them down. And this was before her crush on you."

Hana blushed at that.

"As you can imagine with those pricks, they did not take her rejections kindly but there is nothing they can do. At least not fully." She sighed as she continued. "Lately, they have been pushing the Hokage to admit the Uchiha brat into the CRA. So far the only thing that has kept it from happening is because the Uchiha has no interest, but it is only a matter of time before one of the snakes from the council talks him into it."

"And you are worried that they civilian council may exploit a loop hole and force Hana-chan to marry the teme, who would just treat her as a possession and breeding factory." Naruto finished for the Inuzuka matriarch, earning a nod.

"However, I know that if Hana is already involved with someone already in the program, then they can't force her to do anything."

Naruto was silent for a handful of seconds before he turned to the younger woman next to him.

"How do you feel about this Hana-chan?" He asked her.

"I-I don't know." She stammered, a little nervous. Partially due to the revelation her mother had revealed about what the council would likely do. "Will you love me?"

Naruto gave her a warm smile.

"I will love and respect you the same as all of my mates." He replied. "However, let's take it slow and get to know each other better. So how about a date on Saturday?"

"Sounds perfect." Hana smiled as she engulfed the blonde in a hug.

'_I knew he would be a perfect choice for her.'_ Tsume smiled to herself.

* * *

**With Anko**

The snake mistress was in a happy mood this day, which was evident as she hummed a happy tune to herself. This of course had prompted many civilians and shinobi alike to avoid her path in fear. What was the cause of the snake mistress being in such a good mood? She was about to get a new room mate, since Haku had spent the mandatory forty eight hours in a cell.

"So, you think Haku is going to like living with us?" Sakura asked. She had ran into the snake mistress while she was out on her morning work out, and had decided to tag along since she had nothing else to do.

"I am pretty sure she will." Anko replied. "Besides, I am her handler until her probation is over. So it's best if we are under the same roof."

"I think she has a crush on Naruto-kun." The pinkette grinned as she recalled the blush the ice user had sported when ever she looked at her blonde mate.

"Ohh, more fuel for the fire." The snake mistress smirked, coming up with new ways to tease the soon to be unfortunate soul.

"So, do you know why Naruto-kun was cooking all morning?" Sakura asked her future sister-wife.

"He had a lunch date with Tsume and Hana this afternoon, which should be happening right now." Anko replied with a knowing grin. "I expect Hana will be joining us soon."

"Why do you think that?" The pink haired hanyou asked.

"Well, like Haku, Hana has had a crush on our sexy Foxy-kun since your team did that mission at her veterinary clinic." The snake mistress replied. "It should also be noted that she hasn't shown any interest in any other guy before."

"Wow." Was all Sakura could say. She knew Naruto was bound to attract more females, but she wasn't expecting it to happen this fast. "So that makes three girls in one day for him, has to be a record of some kind."

"Three?"

"Yeah, yesterday morning Naruto-kun went to talk to Ayame-san at the ramen stand her father runs. I guess she has had a crush on him since he was 8, so he made a promise to himself that when he entered the Clan Restoration Act, she would be the first he asked."

"He never breaks a promise." Anko smiled. "Part of the reason why I love him."

Sakura merely nodded in agreement, smiling. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but despite sharing her lover with multiple other women, she still felt content. As if there were a big family. Something she had always desired, but didn't realize it until recently.

It didn't take too much longer for the duo to reach the ANBU detention center where Haku was currently being held. Due to not having clearance to be admitted inside, Sakura had to wait as Anko and entered to retrieve their new room mate, and potential sister-wife if things developed. They had silently agreed that while they would tease the ice user, they would not push it upon her to seek out a relationship with Naruto. Encourage, yes.

Of course, as chance would have it, while she was waiting for the snake mistress to return, Kakashi had noticed her leaning against the wall as he walked by. He was a bit thrown off at her new appearance. She appeared to be more well toned, not the weak fan girl he had been given to train months ago. Another noticeable change was that she now had black streaks in her pink hair.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" The lazy jonin inquired, barely looking up from his infamous orange book.

"Oh you know, waiting to get my nails done." She sarcastically remarked, earning a scowl from her sensei.

"I see you've been hanging around Naruto too much." Kakashi replied while flipping the page in his book. "His disrespect for others is rubbing off on you."

'_**Wouldn't mind him rubbing something else off on us.'**_ Inner perversely grinned.

'_Jashin, Inner.'_ Sakura mentally sighed. _'Bad enough you bombard my dreams with those thoughts.'_

"Shouldn't you be training instead of doing nothing?" The masked jonin continued. "Maybe if you get stronger, Sasuke will take you out on a date that you always wanted."

Sakura could only growl at this. Clenching her fists tightly at her supposed sensei's words.

'_**Wow, now he is trying to push us towards that emo bastard all of a sudden.'**_ Inner seethed.

'_Probably because he thinks we are too close to Naruto-kun.'_ The pinkette surmised. _'If he only knew just how close we really are.'_

'_**I say the next team meeting, you take a page out of Yugao-chan's book and dry hump him in front of the two stick flippers.'**_

Sakura struggled to hold in a laugh at the thought. Maybe she would do just that.

"Shouldn't you be with your precious Uchiha in the woods playing the pop up pirate game?" The pink haired hanyou retorted after composing herself.

This of course had prompted the silver haired man to scowl deeply at the implications his student had just made. It didn't help that some of the passerby's had sniggered at the comment. Which had only added to the masked jonin's embarrassment. However, before he could reply, the door opened. Revealing Anko and Haku.

"Ready to move in to your new place?" Anko asked the ice user, clear excitement in her voice.

"Where will I be staying, Anko-san?" Haku inquired, before turning her attention towards the masked pervert. A scowl appearing on her face as she remembered how the man had blatantly defended the Uchiha's actions on the bridge.

"Oh, you're here Hatake." The snake mistress frowned before shrugging him off and turning back to the other two girls. "Come on cherry blossom, let's take Haku here shopping before we get her settled in."

Kicking up from the wall, Sakura joined up with her sister wife and Haku.

"You never said where I would be staying, Anko-san." Haku reminded the snake mistress.

"You're staying with me of course." She grinned, before it turned mischievous. Leaning in, she whispered into the ice users ear. "That also means you will be staying with Naruto-kun."

This of course had prompted the poor girl to begin to blush up a storm, much to the amusement of the other two girls.

"It's been fun, Taida-sensei." Sakura stated sarcastically before she and the other girls departed, leaving a disappointed and fuming masked pervert.

* * *

**Elsewhere in the Village**

Kurenai was massaging her temples, trying to relieve the building headache. The source of her on coming headache, two of her students. Hinata Hyuga and Kiba Inuzuka. Mostly the latter, whom seemed to be in an increasingly bad mood today. She didn't know the exact reason for his foul mood, only that it had something to do with his older sister.

The second source of her headache was laying on a branch above them, eating a dango. Yet another habit the snake mistress had gotten the Hyuga Heiress into. The genjutsu mistress could only be thankful that the girl hadn't started bringing sake with her. At least not yet, though the ruby eyed woman was positive it was going to happen sooner or later.

It hadn't helped matters any when asked why she was absent from yesterday's team meeting, the Hyuga girl had simply told them that she had been resting at the Uzumaki compound nursing a hang over from the previous nights celebration. Though she was tight lipped about what the celebration was for, and why it was at Uzumaki compound.

This of course had lead to another rant from the Inuzuka boy that his self proclaimed 'mate' was being unfaithful to him. Claiming that he could smell Naruto all over her, as well as the scent of another woman. Of course, Hinata had not taken these statements lying down and had laid him out brutally with a series of strikes to his body, rendering him unconcious. Kurenai was only thankful that she didn't do more damage to him.

Honestly, the only student of hers that wasn't the source of any form of drama was Shino. The only thing the bug user had said was that his hive felt uneasy around Hinata for some reason. Though he didn't know the reason why, just that she exuded an unusual power.

"Alright, let's wrap it up for the day." Kurenai finally said, gaining the attention of her team. "Meet back here tomorrow at ten, we're going out on our first C-rank mission. Pack for a few weeks."

Shino had simply nodded and silently departed the group, heading back to his family's compound to prepare for the upcoming mission. Meanwhile, Hinata began to depart in the direction of Naruto's compound. She was a bit excited to meet Haku, since the indigo haired hanyou already knew of the arrangement that the ice user would be staying with her mate and future sister-wives.

Part of the reason she was excited to meet the ice user, was the fact that Naruto had spoken about her in a very good light and had praised the girls skill and above all, her compassion. Reciting how she had helped heal Sakura after the Uchiha had switched places with her. This of course had caused the Hyuga heiress to despise the emo even more.

"Hinata-chan." A voice spoke up behind her, prompting the girl to turn around to face her sensei. "Can I talk to you for a moment? In private."

Kiba merely scoffed and left. Kicking the dirt in frustration as he walked away, Akamaru at his side.. It was clear the Inuzuka boy had wanted to listen in. Kurenai waited until he was well out of ear shot before she approached the Hyuga girl.

"Is what Kiba-san said true?" She asked, inquiring about his claim that he had smelled Naruto's scent all over the girl. Which implied something intimate. This of course earned her a trademark Anko grin, which slightly unnerved the genjutsu mistress.

"That is correct, Kurenai-sensei." She replied, the grin not leaving her face. "It is as I told you. Anko-chan and I are sharing Naruto-kun."

Unknown to them, Kiba had circled back and was listening in on the conversation. Scowling deeply at the confirmation that his 'mate' was with another man who already had another woman. However, he knew that her father would not allow his daughter to be with Naruto. All he had to do was let something slip the next time he saw him. The Inuzuka grinned at his newly formed, fool proof plan.

"Does your father know?" She asked, concerned about how the girls father would react if, or rather when, he learned of the girls affair.

"He is the one who encouraged me to court Naruto." Hinata replied. Earning a shocked gasp from her sensei.

'_WHAT!? How could he encourage my mate to go after that loser!?'_ Kiba seethed to himself in the bushes.

"Why did he give you his consent?" The ruby eyed woman asked, clearly surprised. As far as she had known, the Hyuga Clan Head had all but despised anyone not of noble standing. To learn that he had gave his oldest daughter permission to enter such a relationship seemed odd.

"He didn't give an exact reason." The girl answered. "Just that he was now worthy. Must have something to do with the Council meeting he had attended a few days ago."

Kurenai slightly frowned at the new information. She didn't like the idea of her prized student that she saw as a surrogate daughter was in such a relationship with a boy who had another woman. Her best friend no less. Whom she still needed to talk with, and upon learning all this, it only escalated the need for her to track down her friend and corner her to talk.

"Anyways, I should go Kurenai-sensei." The Hyuga girl stated. "I really want to spend time with Naruto-kun and Anko-chan before we leave tomorrow."

Without saying another word, the indigo haired hanyou left, leaving behind a confused genjutsu mistress, and a fuming Inuzuka that had over heard the entire conversation.

'_I'll show her that I am the only male she needs.'_ Kiba inwardly seethed. '_She is MY mate, not that losers. I am the alpha male! And I will prove it to her, one way or another. I will force her to see that she is mine!'_

* * *

**Night Time, Uzumaki Compound (Naruto's Mindscape)**

"Alright, ready for Ahri-chan?" Naruto asked, as he had finished rearranging some of the seal diagrams that kept the fox girl sealed within him.

"**Are you sure it will work, Naruto-kun?"** She asked, extremely concerned if anything were to go wrong, it could potentially kill her vessel and soon to be official mate.

"I am." The blonde hanyou smiled. "I have checked it, double checked it, and tripled checked it. This new seal modification will allow you to come out in solid form. Though you will still be tethered to me."

"**What would be the max distance we could be apart?"** The kitsune girl inquired.

"Unlimited, however if I need to, I can summon you right back to me." He explained. "Now, there are two ways you can get out. One, I summon a Shadow Clone with your chakra, allowing you to possess it. Which of course would make it more durable, and it will take your appearance instead of mine."

"**And the second?"**

"Channel your chakra into this seal, and it will force a Shadow Clone to spawn without me needing to do it." He informed her. "This is a fail safe in case something happens and I am unconcious or something that will allow you out to help."

"**I guess I am ready."** Ahri stated, steeling her nerves. Both from excitement and worry.

"Alright, after I leave, channel your chakra into the seal I showed you." He instructed. "I'll see you on the outside."

Slowly, the blonde vanished from his mindscape. Leaving the kitsune girl alone. Readying herself, she marched over to the seal and placed her hand upon it. As she channeled her chakra into the seal, she started to become a little light headed, until she experienced an explosion of white light forcing her to shut her eyes tightly.

* * *

**Real World, Naruto's Bedroom**

"Welcome to the outside world." A voice greeted her.

Opening her eyes, she looked around and noticed she was in the bedroom of her vessel. Standing in front of her was the blonde himself. A warm smile on his face. Without warning, she pounced upon him and tackled him to the bed behind him. Overwhelmingly happy to be out of the seal and to be able to physically hold the one who had won her heart.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She repeated over and over again before sobbing lighting into his chest.

Knowing that this was an emotional experience for the Kyuubi girl, Naruto stroked her back. Comforting her as he held her close until she stopped sobbing. Slowly she turned her face towards his and leaned in to capture his lips with her own. All of which he happily returned. After a few moments had passed, the two had ceased their make out session. Both panting and out of breath.

"You know what to do." She smirked as she moved part of her kimono out of the way so he had access to her neck.

It was on this night, that Naruto had marked Ahri, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, as his mate.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** Another short chapter, but I figured this was a good place to leave it off at. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will have some time jumps in it.

On a good note, Ahri can now come out of the seal when she desires or is needed, making her officially one of Naruto's mates! It is safe to assume that the rest of Naruto's room mates are thankful for silencing seals tonight.

We also got to see a bit of interaction between Kakashi and the new Sakura. And he is not too pleased with her attitude with him, though he only has himself to blame. There was also a hint that Sakura had converted.

Anyways, as always, leave your thoughts in the reviews!


	15. Chapter 15

**Authors Notes:** First up, just a warning, **this chapter will have a ****lemon scene in it**. There will be another warning before it starts for those of you who wish to skip it.

Also, this chapter was delayed in being uploaded due to losing internet for the week. And if that wasn't bad enough, my computer also decided to die as well. Fortunately, it wasn't anything too serious. Humidity got into some of the connectors inside the tower, so got that all cleaned out. However, if I suddenly disappear, most likely my computer died again.

Voting will be coming to a close in the next few chapters, so be sure to get your votes in.

Now as a small recap, the last chapter we saw Hana begin the process of dating Naruto, though she still has yet to learn all the larger details about him. Also got to see a flashback on how the two met and how our young blonde made such an impression on the young Inuzuka woman. Not to mention a peek into the darker intentions of the civilian council to further pamper the last Uchiha.

Let's not forget my personal favorite, Sakura being sarcastic towards her supposed sensei. This chapter will also focus a bit on her new changes as well as a few surprises. Those wondering, yes, she did convert and is a Jashinist now.

And lastly, Ahri, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, is now able to come out into the physical world. Which is going to add all sorts of fun now. Though, I will say that the two will keep it a secret for the time being.

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

Still taking ideas for how our blonde protagonist can meet some of his girls, so keep them coming!

**Biginferno –** Ahri and Naruto are going to keep this a secret. The only ones who will know are his mates. Not even the old man Hokage will learn of the Kyuubi being able to manifest herself outside of his body. This is mainly due to safely. Despite his powers, it is still possible for Naruto to be overwhelmed.

**AmbertheCat –** Yeah, Kiba is going to be a slight thorn in Naruto's side. Sadly, I still need to come up with something for him to attempt. But, I am sure I can come up with something.

**CrimsonStarBlade –** Ahri will only come out in private around Naruto and his mates, or when needed in battle. Though I do have plans for the Emo King to attempt something regarding one or two of Naruto's women. Good idea for an Omake.

**Insanemaelstorm –** Glad you liked it, I am trying to portray Kurenai as a bit skeptical of how other peoples relationships work, since she isn't having luck in that field with Asuma cheating on her. She is especially apprehensive with people she closely cares about.

**Erick G –** Unfortunately the harem list is final. Though I could add them into the story itself, they will not be part of the harem. Sorry.

**Djberneman –** Right now, the next one that is due to be in a lemon scene is Sakura. But these scenes will be far and few in between as I don't want to write them just for the sake of writing smut. I want to ensure there is character bonding and build up within it.

**Lara5170 –** That's actually a good point, and I will probably end up using it. Since the Kyuubi is already a full demoness, when they mixed chakra it only makes sense that it would elevate his own demonic heritage further.

Also, Kakashi will eventually wake up and realize he is betting on the wrong horse.

Now, on with the show!

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 15

**ROOT Headquarters**

It had been over a week since the young blonde had revealed his heritage to the council, and Danzo was none to happy. This single action had disrupted everything he had planned, not only for the blonde jinchuriki, but his future operations as well. The reason being?

The brat had claimed all assets of the Namikaze vault and completely liquidated it. Merging it with his mothers account, as well as transferring large sums to two additional accounts. One being the boys private account, and the other into an unknown account in a reserve operated by a third party company that specialized in private accounts. Putting everything out of the old war hawks reach. In truth, Danzo had been using the Namikaze account to fund his ROOT program as well as other projects as per the previous Hokage's instructions.

Though due to legal issues that would arise, it had been a quiet affair. The Fourth never considered the chance of his son actually claiming his family heritage. The plan had always been for him to be beaten into submission and isolated from his peers, so when Danzo's ROOT took him, no one would question what had happened to the young blonde. Of course, that had all changed after the boys sixth birthday. Something had awakened in the child that day.

To compound issues further, he had also discovered that Naruto had completely cleaned out the Namikaze residence of anything of value. Scrolls, books, equipment, and so forth. Leaving the compound completely barren, even the pictures were removed. Almost as if the blonde was erasing the very existence of his father. To add further insult to injury, all of the security seals around the compound had been changed, completely cutting off any access he once had to the property.

This of course made the bandaged elder frown slightly in thought.

'_Could it be possible he learned of Minato's plan?'_ The man mused. As outlandish as it sounded, he did not want to leave anything to chance. He had already lost a rather sizable amount of money due to underestimating the blonde brat. Of course he had other sources to finance his operation, but having access to Minato's bank account had made it far more accessible.

Of course this lead to Danzo's biggest problem for his immediate plans. How to acquire Naruto. Now that he was recognized as the heir of not one, but two notable clans in the village, any sudden disappearance of him would surely be noticed. Especially from his current fiances, both of which were very capable to combat his own ROOT long enough to attract attention to them. Something he absolutely wanted to avoid.

As he continued to ponder a solution to his problem, a small grin appeared on his face. It was a simple plan, yet it would be effective.

"ROOT!" He called out.

Immediately, six black clad shinobi appeared in front of him. All with blank masks that gave no indication of their identity. In reality they had nothing to claim any sort of identity. Just mindless drones that were blindly loyal only to the man they now knelt before.

"You are to find and secure Naruto Uzumaki and bring him to me." Danzo instructed them. "You are not to act until he is alone. I do not want any attention brought to us."

"Hai, Danzo-sama!" They all said in unison before disappearing.

As they left, Danzo grinned. All he had to do was wait until they brought him the boy and he would force a loyalty seal on him. That way he would secure the boys obedience while not having anyone question his disappearance. Once he was loyal, he would have Naruto sign over everything to him, and perhaps even have his fiances forced into his ROOT forces as well.

Nothing would stop him.

* * *

**Training Ground 7**

Both Sakura and Naruto were leaning against one another near one of the posts, waiting for the other two to finally arrive. The pinkette was reading through more scrolls she had come across for her elemental affinities while playing with a silver necklace that hung around her neck, whilst Naruto was reading one of the scrolls he had secured from his fathers property. Studying how to perform one of his fathers signature techniques, the Rasengan.

'_The man may have been a bastard, but at least he was an intelligent bastard.' _Naruto thought to himself as he looked over the scroll, which gave instructions of how to perform the technique.

Aside from emptying out his fathers property, the blonde hanyou had introduced his current room mates to Ahri the morning after he had altered the seal to allow her some freedom. Much to his embarrassment, his mates had reminded him that he had forgotten to activate the silencing seals around his room. This of course had caused the poor kitsune girl to blush severely.

He was correct about one thing though. Ahri and Sakura had hit it off very well, and the kyuubi girl had even taken to teaching the pinkette some of her own taijutsu style to help expand the girls abilities and skills. If anything, to further aid her mate in their outings. Since Sakura would be the one with him the most on missions and such.

Another interesting thing that had happened, due to the kitsune girl, was the fact that Naruto was now almost a full demon. This was caused due to mixing chakra with Ahri when he marked her as one of his mates. He now estimated he was at least three quarters demon, instead of a half demon now. As a result, his whisker marks became even more pronounced with his muscles becoming even more defined. His pupils had also taken a slight slit appearance, though not too noticeable.

Of course, this change had also chained through all of the marks of his mates. Adding to their own hanyou heritage as well. All of them could feel a stronger connection to their demon side coursing through the veins. Each of them also experienced their own physical changes. The dark streaks in their hair becoming darker, while their eyes became more vibrant, and glowed an eerie yellow when under shadow. The physical appearance of the bodies also took a more noticeable change with their features becoming more toned and pronounced, making them the envy of all the women in the village and the desire of many men as well.

During the week, he had also taken both Ayame and Hana out on their respective dates. With Ayame, he took her to a popular restaurant called The Golden Leaf. He had reserved a private booth away from the rest of the patrons. Throughout the five course meal, the two conversed about everything. She was surprised when he had revealed that he was the author of her favorite book series. She was silent when he began to explain how he was a half demon, thanks to Jashin, and his mission that Jashin had tasked him with. After hearing everything, she had simply smiled and requested to be marked as well. And he did.

For Hana, he had taken her for a nice wilderness hike just outside the village during the twilight hours. Feeling secure around the blonde, Hana had left her three ninken at the compound. Knowing full well that should anything happen, Naruto would take care of her. As the two walked through the forest, they talked about their interest, dreams, and ambitions. At the end of the hike, they had arrived at a platau that over looked the village and gave them a clear view of the stars. Once there, he had unsealed a picnic basket for them.

During the meal, Naruto had explained everything about him. Surprisingly, Hana had taken it well. Being from a feral like clan, she had a greater understanding of how being mated worked. Though she was a little surprised that he was a hanyou, and had been since he was six. Even more surprising to her was the fact that he was the champion of the goddess Jashin. Like those before her, after hearing everything, she had requested to be marked as one of his mates.

"So, what are we going to do today, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, breaking him out of his musings as she leaned her head against him, putting her scroll away, as she was done reading it for now.

"Aside from sticking it to Taida-sensei and his boy toy?" Naruto responded as he sealed away the scroll he was reading, earning a chuckle from his pink haired mate.

"Yo!" Kakashi said as he appeared a few moments later, almost as if on cue, just as Sasuke arrived at the training ground, earning a raised eye brow of why the raven haired boy was late to arrive.

"I see the Uchiha is picking up your bad habits, Taida-sensei." Naruto quipped, earning another chuckle from Sakura.

This of course caused the masked jonin too narrow his eyes at the two for the blatant disrespect towards him. However, he noticed the change of appearance in his pink haired student. He wasn't the only one, as Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off her. She truly looked like a femme fatal, prompting the last Uchiha to smirk to himself.

'_Judging by her training a week ago, she has gotten a lot stronger.'_ The Uchiha mused to himself, a smirk coming across his face. _'__W__ith her __new__ looks, she will be worthy to b__are__ my children. And with how obsessed she was with me, it will be easy to get her __to do whatever I want.__'_

"So what are we going to do today?" Sakura asked as she stood up from her sitting position, though stayed near Naruto.

"Well, today I will be teaching you two the leaf cutting exercise to further enhance your chakra control." He lazily replied.

"And I suppose while we're doing that, you're going to take the Uchiha to give him a private lesson." Naruto sighed, crossing his arms.

"Once you have better chakra control, I will teach you more." Kakashi stated.

"Look Hatake, it's clear you don't give a shit enough to train us, so how about this." Naruto began as he kicked off the post, prompting the pinkette to do the same. "You can take your precious Uchiha and do whatever you want. I will help Sakura-chan train myself."

Kakashi could only frown at this.

"We are suppose to be a team." Kakashi commented, prompting both Sakura and Naruto to cast him a dirty look.

"Don't worry, we will still help with missions and show up for team meetings." The blonde replied. "But as far as training, we have no faith in you."

Kakashi could only sigh as he watched the other two depart the training field. He had promised the Hokage that he would aim to train his entire team, though Naruto was making it difficult for him. Worse even was that Sakura was following Naruto's lead, sending a clear message that she didn't trust the masked jonin to do his job, and actually train his entire team.

* * *

**With Sakura and Naruto**

The two hanyous had made their way deeper into the forested area, to avoid any prying eyes. Especially for what Naruto had planned for them. Once at a suitable location, he began to set barrier seals around them to prevent any unwanted visitors from actually seeing what they were doing. Of course, as he was explaining what he was doing, Inner Sakura was having a field day with the implications, causing the poor girl to groan and blush at the same time.

"So what are we going to be training today, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, after shaking the dirty thoughts that Inner had placed within her mind.

"Well, now that the barrier is up." Naruto began. "I am going to teach you how to use your hanyou abilities."

Sakura's eyes widened at this in excitement. She had seen Yugao and Hinata use their abilities when around the compound, and having experienced it first hand when traveling with her mate, made her all the more eager to learn how to do it herself. Though she had always wondered why Anko never used any of her hanyou abilities. When she had asked Naruto about it, he merely told her that Anko hadn't desired to learn it yet. Which struck her as odd, since the snake mistress had been with the blonde the longest, though she didn't press further.

"Alright, so where do I begin?" She asked.

"First, we will begin with the Shadow Step abilities." He stated. "You've seen me and the others use it many times before, and it is a very handy ability to reach usually difficult areas to get to. Now, think of the shadows as water and desire to dive into them. Since it's your first time, you may want to get a running start."

Sakura nodded as she soaked in this information. Attempting to calm her nerves, she ran towards the cluster of shadows created by the trees and jumped towards them. Only to skid across the ground, and gain a mouthful of dirt and leaves. In the back of her mind, she was expecting the blonde to laugh at her failure, instead there was silence save for the crunching of leaves as he walked towards her. Reaching down, he helped her to her feet.

"It's okay Sakura-chan." He reassured, wiping the dirt from her face. "I didn't get it my first time either. In fact, I ended up going face first into a tree and knocking myself out for almost an hour. Hinata-chan got herself tangled into some bushes that left her rather exposed, and Yugao-chan severely bruised her throat from running into a tree branch."

"What did I do wrong?" She asked, still disappointed that she failed. Though, she did feel a little comforted by the fact that she wasn't the only one who had failed on her first attempt.

"You hesitated." Naruto simply responded. "You need to wipe any doubt from your mind. Ready to try again?"

Nodding, the pink haired hanyou moved back to her starting position and tried again.

It had taken the pinkette at least a dozen attempts before she got it down, much to her excitement. Upon successfully diving into the shadows, Naruto had descended with her to help her navigate the Shadow World. It was difficult to describe how this world looked like, but could be surmised as an endless black and gray abyss, with 'windows' peering into the living world. These 'windows' were the shadows themselves within the living world that allowed the shadow walkers to observe unnoticed and decide when to depart the Shadow World.

"Good job, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled as they rose up from the shadows. "You did it!"

"I did!" She exclaimed, excited and proud of her accomplishment. Jumping up and down in celebration.

"Alright, keep at it until you can do it flawlessly. But only come out through these shadows." He instructed.

Sakura nodded and began to repeat the process. Each time more fluid then the last. While she was in the Shadow World, she would peer into other 'windows', spying on Kakashi and Sasuke, chuckling to herself when she saw the emo duck butt struggling to walk on water. Throwing a fit each time she failed. Though she always ensured that she returned through the shadows located near her mate.

Speaking of mate, she had noticed that while in the Shadow World, Naruto and the other girls that he had marked seem to light up, allowing her to see where they were. Sakura felt that if she focused enough on one of them, she could instantly travel to them. She had attempted this theory on Naruto himself, since she really didn't want to alarm anyone, as her fellow soon to be sister-wives were in proximity to potential witnesses. Still, it was a useful thing to learn, in case the need arose that she would be required to aid one of them.

As the hours ticked by, Naruto began instructing her in her other hanyou abilities. How to forge her Shadow Blade and mold it to her preferred weapon, which for Sakura was a tanto style katana blade. Though she did entertain the idea of using ulaks and katar's as well, for more up close and personal fighting, as Naruto had shared with her the advice that Jashin had given him. Always have a back up weapon in case your desired weapon was unfit for battle, either due to location or the opponent.

Naruto had also taught her how to use her Shadow Sight. Sakura was shocked at how differently things looked when she had it activated. While she could still perfectly see the structures and trees, they lacked color, replaced by shades of gray. What surprised her was that when she turned to look at her mate, he was body appeared to be glowing red.

Naruto had explained that the Shadow Sight saw life energy, meaning that so long as they were alive, the Shadow Sight could see them, regardless of any ninjutsu or genjutsu that had around them. Though he did stress that while it was possible, it was extremely difficult to see clones of any kind. Proving his point by summoning a few.

As he had stated, while she could see them, they did not light up like Naruto did. When they moved, they were blurry at best. Almost as if they were ghosts. In the end though, Sakura had taken to her hanyou abilities rather well, even a little quicker then Hinata had.

With the training coming to an end as the sun began to dip below the horizon, and the barriers still up, Sakura had sauntered over to the blonde hanyou and wrapped her arms around his neck, prompting him to wrap his arms around her waist. Bringing her closer to him. Leaning in, she deeply kissed him. Pushing her tongue into his mouth to begin the fight for dominance.

As the two continued their heated make out session, the pinkette began to let her hands wander over his body. Feeling up his toned biceps and chest area before moving further down to his abs. While she did this, Naruto allowed his own hands to caress her along her back and sides, though staying respectful not to cross any lines.

However, the pinkette had other plans as she allowed her hands to ever so slowly move further and further down. She almost had her hands into his pants before he stopped her. Breaking the kiss, she looked into the blue eyes of her mate in confusion as to why he had stopped her.

"Sakura-chan." He spoke softly as her looked into her eyes. He could see the lust built up behind them. "If you want this to go further, lets do it in a more suitable location."

Smiling, she merely nodded and retracted her hands. Much to her inner self's disappointment that the blonde had stopped their fun.

"Your first time should always be special, not just a romp out in the woods." He continued. "If you think you are ready, come to my room tonight. I'll make sure Anko-chan knows it's your turn."

"Just remember to put up the silencing seals this time, Naruto-kun." She teased, giving him another peck on the cheek.

"Go ahead and head home and relax." He smiled. "Try using your Shadow Step to get there, Anko-chan should be home by now, so you should be able to lock onto her."

"What are you going to do, Naruto-kun?"

"There is something I have to take care of." He stated. "Won't take long."

Nodding, Sakura gave him one last kiss before sinking into the shadows.

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**With Anko **

The snake mistress was quietly humming to herself as she sat comfortably in a large reclining chair. Her feet tucked underneath her as she engrossed herself in the third volume of Demon Heart, which had finally come out just yesterday. Already it was flying off the shelves. Silently, she thanked Jashin that she personally knew the author, as Naruto had always ensured his girls got first dibs on his books.

Sitting across from her was Haku, whom was just beginning her adventure into the first book. A house warming gift from Naruto himself. The ice user was floored when she had learned that the blonde was the author of the most popular book series in all the Elemental Nations, though respected his wishes to keep it a secret.

Neither of them noticed the pink haired girl rising up behind Anko. A mischievous grin across her face, Sakura brought her hands around the chair and groped Anko's chest, prompting the snake mistress the cry out in surprise and immediately draw one of her kunai, ready to retaliate. Only to see Sakura, laughing on the floor.

"Sorry Anko-chan." The pinkette laughed. "I owed you one from a week ago."

Putting the kunai away, the snake mistress pouted.

"I suppose." She replied, before growing a mischievous grin of her own. "Though I feel cheated, I was naked when I groped you."

"Maybe after I have had my time with Naruto-kun." Sakura smirked before leaving the room to prepare herself for what she had planned. Leaving behind a grinning snake mistress and a severely blushing Haku.

'_Oh she is going to be a treat.'_ Anko thought to herself.

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**With Naruto**

Naruto smirked to himself as he watched the six masked figures from the shadows, as they moved around outside of the barrier he had set up for Sakura's training. While still hiding within the shadows, he dropped the barrier, allowing them to finally come closer.

"The target was last spotted in this location." One spoke up in a dull tone, completely void of any emotions.

"Danzo-sama will not be pleased if we fail to acquire the target." Another spoke in the same tone.

'_Well, suppose __we__ should introduce __ourselves__.'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'What do you think Ahri-chan?'_

'_**Should be fun.'**_ She mentally grinned. _**'Leave none alive.'**_

'_That's the plan.' _He smirked as he emerged from the shadows behind the group. "Looking for me?"

"Naruto Uzumaki." One of them stated as all six turned to look at the blonde hanyou. "You are to come with us to Danzo-sama. You do not have a say in this."

"Has that ever worked on anyone?" The blonde mused as he summoned a dark tanto length blade, holding it in a reverse grip position.

As he stood there, Naruto took note of everyone's location as he began to plan out his means of attack. No doubt they would attempt to surround him, however he had a trick up his sleeve that he knew they wouldn't expect.

'_Ready Ahri-chan?'_

'_**Let's do this.'**_

Without warning, Naruto attacked. As he did so a Shadow Clone manifested itself behind him, taking the form of a dark haired female with nine white tails swirling behind her, charging at full speed towards the two Root ANBU that had circled behind the blonde hanyou. To his right, his own shadow detached itself and formed into a second Naruto, attacking the two Root on that side. Leaving Naruto himself only to deal with the two on the left.

Ahri wasted little time as she engaged the two Root members on her side. Right away she had sunk he claws into the throat of one of them, killing him instantly before she jumped away from him and lunged towards her next victim. However, the second individual had managed to evade her attack.

"Danzo-sama will be pleased that you can manifest yourself Kyuubi and take human form." He stated, earning himself a growl from the kitsune girl. "You will submit to Danzo-sama to become his weapon and potentially birth a new breed of shinobi."

"I would sooner slit my own throat then be used as a tool for that war monger." She spat.

"You do not have a choice in the matter."

Quickly the Root ANBU member went through a series of hand seals before firing off a series of fireballs towards the kitsune girl. All of which struck her at point blank range, exploding on impact and igniting the surrounding area in a small inferno. He knew Danzo would be upset that she was damaged, though she would heal. Turning, the Root member moved to aid his fellow ANBU though froze when he heard giggling coming from the fire.

"Really, you're going to use fire, my own element, against me?" Ahri laughed as she stood inside the fire, completely unharmed. "I'll show you how to use fire."

Bringing her right hand back, she drew the inferno into her palm and began to twist it into a spiraling orb, almost like the Rasengan in appearance, though not quite. Having drawn the all the flames into the orb, she launched it towards her opponent at such a speed, it was impossible for him to dodge. As the orb struck him, it burst into his chest and began burning him alive from the inside out. As the fire tore through him, he let out an agonizing screen as fire finally erupted from behind his mask before it was suddenly silenced and only a burnt out husk remained.

Her job done, she dispersed herself and returned to her seal, awaiting her mate to finish off his own opponents, as his Dark Clone had already easily dispatched the other two effortlessly, leaving only Naruto to finish off his two. Though it was clear that the blonde hanyou had been toying with them, allowing them to think they had a chance against him.

As the two remaining Root attacked the blonde hanyou, Naruto effortlessly avoided the combination of attacks, occasionally blocking with his dark blade. The blonde smirked as they came in for another attack, though this time instead of blocking, he ducked under both of their attacks and quickly summoned a second dark blade into his left hand before driving them both into the chests of his attackers. Blood spilling out from under both of their masks.

'_Have fun Kitsune-hime?'_ he inquired.

'_**Bastard had the nerve to say I would be used for breeding.'**_ The fox girl huffed, still upset over the comment made.

'_The only o__ffspring you __will be__ having__, is m__ine__. My Kitsune-hime.'_ He commented in a possessive tone, earning a blush from the girl as memories of the night she was first allowed outside of the seal came to the forefront of her mind.

'_**Speaking of which, I do believe your lovely little Cherry Blossom is waiting for you to return home.'**_ Ahri teased.

Naruto merely chuckled as he turned his attention to the bodies that now littered the ground. He knew he couldn't leave them here to be found by a patrol. Not to mention Inoichi could still enter there minds and relive their last moments, which is something he wanted to avoid all together. He wasn't ready to let more people know of his current skills.

Sadly, he also didn't know where Danzo's hidden lair was located, otherwise he would have left a gift basket for the old war monger. To be honest, Naruto was surprised the war hawk hadn't moved to acquire him sooner.

"Well, before I head home, I better take care of this mess." He stated, mostly to himself.

Spreading his arms out, he began to gather darkness around him. Pools of black liquid like substance flowing for the shadows in the surrounding area. Molding it to bring forth all of the bodies into one pile before converging on it, blanketing it in a thick layer of dark water like substance. With a quick motion from his hands, he forced the black liquid like mass to compress upon the bodies. Smashing them into nothing more then a paste. Once satisfied that they were beyond unidentifiable, Naruto released his control over the dark element and allowed it to retake it's place among the shadows.

"Mmm, speaking of Inoichi and mind reading, I should look into developing some seals to block any attempt to control myself or someone that is close to me." Naruto mused, he didn't know how, but Danzo had commanded unconditional loyalty from these guys. "Think I just found my next project."

The task finished, Naruto melted into the shadows to return to his compound.

* * *

**Uzumaki Compound**

When Naruto arrived at his compound he immediately noticed it was quiet. A little too quiet considering who his room mates were. However, he didn't sense any of his mates in any danger through his mark, so he had shrugged it off that they had went out for the evening. Though more then likely, Sakura had expressed her desire to the others and his other mates had left to give them some privacy.

Of course the fact that he could only sense Sakura inside the compound only reinforced that theory, whilst Anko, Yugao, and Hinata were in town. No doubt they had roped Haku to join them, and if he had to bet, he would say that they took the ice user to the girls favorite dango stand. Chuckling slightly to himself, he made his way to his bedroom. Stripping out of his clothing and discarding them into his clothes hamper, before he turned on his shower to allow the warm water to cascade over his body.

After a handful of minutes, he felt a pair of fleshy orbs press against his back, followed by a trail of kisses along his shoulders and neck. A slender pair of arms wrapping around his torso. Slowly turning around, he saw Sakura standing close to him in all her glory. A vibrant blush adorning her cheeks. Giving her a soft smile, he pulled her closer to him, wrapping one of his arms around her waist while the other stroked her upper back. Leaning in, he gave her a deep kiss, which she happily returned.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Sakura-chan?" He inquired after breaking the kiss.

"I'm positive, Naruto-kun." She purred as she kissed along his neck.

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To further prove her point, she backed away from him and positioned herself in the corner of the shower. Hands stretched out along both walls to hold herself up while she spread her legs. Giving the blonde access to her sanctum. However, Naruto had other ideas as he placed his hand under her belly and guided her up so that she was leaning against him once more.

"This is your first time." He commented as he leaned in and licked along her neck. "I am not taking you from behind."

Gently, he turned her around so that she was facing him and captured her lips once more. Though this time with much more fervor then before. Sakura could only greedily accept his tongue into her mouth as his hands wandered her body, brushing against her sensitive areas, causing her to moan into his mouth.

Slowly, he began to caress his hand up and down the sides of her body. Each touch sending shivers down her spine, so much so that if she wasn't already holding on to the blonde, there was a good chance her legs would have given out. However, her blonde mate wasn't done yet as his hands slowly began to encircle her breasts, playing with her erect nipples.

Feeling that two could place this game, she allowed her own hands to slowly travel down his body. Giving his toned rump a squeeze before bringing both hands to his package. Her eyes opening wide as she felt the size of his tool. However, she didn't dwell on it for long as she wrapped her hands around his shaft and began to teasingly stroke his length up and down. Being rewarded with a low moan of pleasure from her lover.

While she did this, Naruto had moved his own hand down to her crotch, using his index finger to tease her entrance. Gently probing in and out. This of course prompted the pinkette to cuddle closer into him, as more moans escaped her mouth. In retaliation, she began to stroke his entire length faster. After a few more minutes of teasing, Sakura finally broke off the kiss and looked into his eyes. Her own glazed over with pure lust and desire.

"Pl-please." She whispered. "I need you, now."

Nodding, he hooked his arms under each of her legs and lifted her up effortlessly. Positioning himself right in front of her entrance. Receiving a nod to continue, he slowly began to lower her onto him. Slowly penetrating her most sacred of places. As he did so, Sakura's grip tightened as she felt the pressure build up in her core. Eventually, he met her barrier. Like he had before with Anko, he paused and waited for her to brace herself.

He received permission to continue forth in the form of a deep and passionate kiss. In a sudden movement, he tore through her barrier, eliciting a small cry from her as she froze mid kiss. Her nails digging into his shoulders. After a few moments, the pain had subsided and she had resumed kissing her mate. Moving her hips slightly to tell him that it was okay to start moving.

Returning her kisses, Naruto began to slowly pump his entire length into her. With each stroke, her moans became louder and louder as she wrapped her legs around his waist to better support herself and give him more access at the same time. As the two continued to make love, water from the shower continued to cascade down both of their bodies.

As time went on, Sakura began pleading for him to go faster and harder. All of which he obliged with the aid of her bouncing up and down on him to add to the experience. Of course this had only aided in bringing their climax closer.

"Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed between labored breathes. "I'm almost there!"

"Me too Sakura-chan." Naruto replied as he felt his own climax fast approaching, capturing her lips once more.

After a few more minutes, Sakura's orgasm rocketed through her body, causing her eyes to roll into the back of her head as she road out wave after wave of pleasure. Naruto wasn't fair behind as he felt her clamp down on his shaft, prompting him to unleash his load deep within her. Which had caused another orgasm to rock his pink haired lover.

Both remained silent as they bathed in each others presence. Sakura resting her chin on his shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. Warmth filling her entire body. Meanwhile, Naruto combed his fingers through her hair and trailed light kisses along her shoulders. Slowly, the two began to untangle themselves from each other.

"Satisfied?" Naruto grinned as he turned off the shower and grabbed a towel to wrap her in. Allowing her to dry off first.

"Mmm." Was all she replied with, still basking in the afterglow, before getting a perverted smirk. "Who said we're done just yet?"

"Oh, have plans do you?" He teased as he drew her in closer.

"I believe I am going to take a page from Anko-chan's book and see what the limit of these seals are." She grinned as she began to pull him towards the bed.

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**A Few Hours Later**

Sakura laid in bed with Naruto, resting her head on his chest as she listened to his heart beat with her eyes closed. Having finally been sated after multiple rounds of love making in multiple positions. Some of which even had her Inner self shocked into silence, not believing that the pinkette was that flexible. Meanwhile, Naruto was combing his fingers through her hair once more, something she greatly enjoyed him doing.

With a sigh of contentment, she snuggled closer to her mate. She knew, without a doubt that she had made the right choice by getting marked as one of his mates. To think, she had Jashin-sama to thank for all of this. There was no denying that the goddess was single handidly responsible for shaping Naruto into the man he is today, which in turn had allowed him to break her out of her fan girl ways and open her eyes.

If someone had told her six months ago that she would become intimate with Naruto, become a half demon and convert to Jashinism, she would have pummeled them within an inch of their life for making up such outlandish claims. Also knowing how she was back then, she probably would have punched Naruto as well, just because his name was brought up. Yet here she was, snuggling close to her blonde mate, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.

"I love you, Naruto-kun." She whispered, as her eyes began to grow heavy. Completely worn out from their activities earlier.

"And I love you, Sakura-chan." He replied. Kissing the back of her head.

Slowly, sleep claimed the two hanyou lovers.

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**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap!

Sakura finally got her alone time with Naruto, which I hope those of you who were looking forward to that enjoyed it. I had multiple ideas to use, but decided a nice shower scene would do nicely. Mainly because I've never done one before and figured it would be a good challenge for me.

Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed this update, even though it took longer then I would have liked to get uploaded. Sadly, little I could do with no internet. Anyways, as always feel free to leave your thoughts, comments, and suggestions in the reviews. Or even send me a private message.

I also use the FanFiction mobile app as well, so you can get a hold of me that way as well.


	16. Chapter 16

**Authors Notes:** And I am back!

Not going to lie, was a little distracted with the new Jedi: Fallen Order game, after I got my computer back up and running.

Anyways, in the last chapter, Sakura finally got her intimate time with her blonde stud. Meanwhile Anko and the other girls went out to give them some privacy, I will be touching on what they were doing in this chapter. Which includes the long awaited confrontation between Kurenai and Anko, as our Genjutsu Mistress really wants to know what the hell is going on with her student and her best friend sharing the same guy.

It should be noted that it is not common knowledge that Naruto is in the Clan Restoration Act. Mainly because the Civilian Council does not want to acknowledge that he is, and the Shinobi Council and Clan Heads are a bit more subtle about it, keeping it a private affair. Though only two Clan Heads have sought out Naruto for their daughters, both for selfless reasons, as they have done so to protect their daughters. Those two being Tsume Inuzuka and Hiashi Hyuga.

We also got to see a glimpse of Kakashi at least starting to realize he has been negligent in his duties as a sensei, though he will still favor Sasuke for a while longer. Speaking of the Emo King, he has finally set his sights on Sakura. Too bad that ship has already sailed. However, doesn't mean he won't try something.

Just a warning, this chapter is going to be very dialogue heavy!

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**Review Corner**

_**AmbertheCat –**_ It will be amusing to see the Uchiha be denied something he desires. Especially since he is used to everything being given to him freely at his whim.

_**Thor94 –**_ Danzo will be a thorn in Naruto's side for a majority of the story, since he is one of the main antagonists. Also, Naruto has no real evidence, since Danzo's ROOT ANBU has seals that prevent them from revealing any information.

_**Charcoal wolf –**_ The female jinchuriki are in the harem, though Naruto will make contact with as many as he can once he learns of the Akatsuki's plan to capture them.

_**YeagerMeister31 –**_ Can't really blame Danzo because Naruto has purposely kept a majority of his potential hidden that not even the Hokage is aware of just how strong he actually is. As for Sakura rejecting Sasgay, the Emo King is going to be in for a hell of a rude awakening.

_**W01frunn3r – **_Yup, Kakashi is just now starting on the long road to redemption. Though he still will play favorites, he will start to make more effort in training Sakura and Naruto. Though as you saw, they don't trust him to actually train them.

_**Gorum141 –**_ I do have plans to have Naruto help Gaara with his own seal during the Chuunin Exams. As for Temari, I also have plans for her a bit later. She will develop a crush on Naruto during the Exams for helping her brother, but this won't come full circle until much later.

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

Still open to ideas of how he can meet his future mates, so feel free to leave a suggestion in your review or send me a private message.

Now, on with the story!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 16

**Dango Stand, Main Street**

"So, our little Cherry Blossom has finally made her move, huh?" Yugao chuckled as she saw Anko and Haku enter the dango stand. The latter sporting a massive blush as she imagined what was going on in the compound at this very moment. A bit envious of the pink haired girl.

"Yup." Anko replied with a grin. "Come on Haku, grab a seat between us."

The ice user nodded, and took the suggested seat between the two women as the snake mistress ordered some dango and sake for them to share amongst each other. During her week long stay at the Uzumaki compound, she had come to view these two women as sister figures. More so because of the fact that Anko would tease her about her crush on Naruto, just as a big sister would. While Yugao was the big sister who would give insight to various topics.

"So did she request the house to be empty?" The swords mistress inquired.

"Nah, when she implied what she had planned, I figured we would give them some privacy." The snake mistress replied, taking a bite from her dango. "Besides, you know how Naruto-kun is with their first time. He always wants it something special to them."

Yugao could only smile at that as she began to wonder what her first time would be like with her mate after they were married. Of course that lead to the next question, just who as going to perform the ceremony? No way in hell was she going to have a Kami ordained priest over see the wedding. She could perhaps ask Shijimi to do it, since she was a True Jashinist, and a priest as well. Shaking away the thoughts for now, she turned to her future sister-wife and Haku and continued to converse with them.

"Evening ladies." A voice spoke up from behind them, Turning they say Kurenai and Hinata making their entering the stand, taking seats near them.

"Hey Nai-chan!" Anko greeted. "How was your first C-rank mission?"

"Argh, don't remind me." The genjutsu mistress sighed. "It was supposed to be a simple mission to escort a wealthy merchant to his destination, but the perverted bastard kept eyeing Hinata and myself the entire time. Making passes at the two of us and even offered to give us a bonus if we were to 'help him relax'."

"Hate bastards like that." The snake mistress stated with a frown. "So what happened?"

"Well, about three days in, he no longer took no for an answer and attempted to force himself on me." The genjutsu mistress recounted in disgust. "Trapped his ass in a genjutsu and we left him at the mercy of any bandits that he would encounter. And since he violated his contract, we were legally allowed to leave him."

"I wanted to rip his balls off and smash them in front of him." The Hyuga heiress growled.

The indigo haired hanyou was probably the most frustrated of all of Team 8, since from the time they left the village, she had not one, but two males constantly trying to flirt with her and get her alone in some way, shape, or form. While at least the merchant was a bit more suave with his words, at least up until he flat out propositioned her and Kurenai like a whore; Kiba was a whole other story.

The young Inuzuka had increased his attempts on the Hyuga heiress. Going as far as to say that her father had made a mistake in approving of her relationship with someone as weak as Naruto, not even hiding the fact that he had eavesdropped on her conversation with Kurenai, and that she should leave the blonde and get with a real alpha that would see that all her needs and desires were satisfied. It had taken all of the girls will power not to pummel the dog boy into the ground, due to being on a mission, it would have not looked good for the village if team members attacked one another.

"So who's this?" Kurenai asked as she gestured towards Haku, having not met her previously.

"This is Haku Yuki, former apprentice to the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Momochi." Anko introduced the ice user proudly. "Soundly defeated the Emo King Uchiha, and came here to become a citizen of the village. Currently living with Naruto-kun and myself."

"I see, pleased to meet you Haku-san." The genjutsu mistress replied. "I am Kurenai Yuhi."

"So Haku-chan, how is it living with Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, a glint of mischief in her eye. Like the others, she had taken to teasing the poor ice user about her crush on the blonde.

"It has been pleasant." Haku replied, knowing full well what the indigo haired girl was doing. Despite the teasing, she felt at home among the girls and her crush. "Though I have had to request that Naruto-kun put some silencing seals around my room."

This of course prompted both Hinata and Anko to blush in embarrassment, knowing full well what the ice user was implying. Though if they would have looked, they would have saw the mischievous grin on the girls face as she had turned the tables on them. After all, turn about was fair play.

"Anyways, Anko, can I talk to you in private?" Kurenai asked. Now was the best time to get to the bottom of what was going on between her, Hinata, and Naruto.

"Sure thing Nai-chan." She grinned before turning to Yugao. "Can you watch over Haku-chan?"

The swords mistress nodded, knowing why the snake mistress made such a request. It wasn't because she didn't trust the ice user, but rather because she knew members of the Civilian Council would no doubt attempt something with the girl. Something Naruto had warned Anko about when he had first returned with the girl from his mission.

With that, both Kurenai and Anko left the stand, immediately shunshining up onto one of the nearby roofs, so they could still keep watch over the dango stand; in case anything were to happen. Though just far enough away to be out of ear shot.

"So what's up, Nai-chan?" Anko asked, as she sat down on the roof. Prompting the genjutsu mistress to do the same.

"I want to know the truth of what is going on between you, Hinata and Naruto." Kurenai stated. "Hinata has said that you're sharing him."

"I see." The snake mistress sighed, turning completely serious.

"So what's going on?"

"The truth is, yes. Hinata-chan and I are sharing Naruto-kun." Anko began. "You see, Naruto-kun is in the Clan Restoration Act, or CRA for short."

"So what, he gets to have his private harem and live out his perverted fantasies?" Kurenai asked in a tone of disgust, now viewing the young blonde as nothing more then a pervert surrounding himself with women.

"No, he is not a pervert." Anko stated, a cold edge in her voice that caused the genjutsu mistress to flinch. "Hell, I am more perverted then Naruto-kun in. Even Hinata-chan is. Naruto-kun treats us all with respect and love."

"Do you know why he entered himself into the CRA?" The snake mistress continued. "It wasn't to have a flock a girls around him. It was so he could openly be affectionate with one girl. And she is down there, watching over Haku-chan."

"Wait, you don't mean…."

"Yes, Naruto-kun admitted himself into the CRA so he could be openly affectionate with Yugao-chan." She continued, as she watched an expression of pure shock wash over the ruby eyed woman's face. "So you see, he didn't do it to live out any perverted fantasy. He did it for love."

Kurenai remained silent as she contemplated this information she had been given. While she was relieved that the boy wasn't some big pervert, she just couldn't wrap her head around the concept of multiple women sharing the same guy.

"How does it all work?" She finally asked. While she still didn't like the concept of a polyamorous relationship, she had figured it would be best to educate herself about it. Better to learn about something you don't like or don't agree with, then remain ignorant of it.

"Well, we've kind of adopted a pack like structure." Anko began, as she began to think of how to explain it without giving too much away. While she loved her best friend, almost sister-like figure, the snake mistress wasn't sure just yet how the ruby eyed woman would react to all of them being half demons. Well, a bit more then half now, since Naruto marked the Ahri. As it was, she was surprised the ruby eyed woman hadn't noticed how there eyes would glow a dull yellow in the dark.

"What do you mean by pack structure?" Kurenai asked in confusion.

"Well, since I am Naruto-kun's first mate, I am considered the alpha female of the group." The snake mistress explained. "Though in reality, we allow each of us to have an equal amount of time with Naruto-kun, though Sakura-chan does hold an advantage due to being on the same team as him."

"Wait, Sakura is dating him too?"

"That's kind of why we were all here." Anko chuckled, allowing the implications to set in. Earning a blush from the genjutsu mistress as she caught up. "She decided she was ready to take it to the next level."

"I see." Was all Kurenai could say.

"Anyways, we all just work together to make it work flawlessly." The snake mistress continued. "For the most part, we've come to view each other as sisters and look out for one another. All in all, we've become family. In the end, we all love Naruto-kun and we chose to be with him."

"Wait, you said he is in the CRA, which means he is the last of his clan." Kurenai recalled. "Which clan is he the last of?"

"Nai-chan, what I am about to tell you can not go beyond us." Anko replied, her mood becoming very serious. "It's not common knowledge yet, and Naruto-kun would like to keep it that way for as long as he can. But he is the last of the Uzumaki clan, and the Namikaze clan."

It took a few moments before it dawned on the genjutsu mistress. Her eyes widening in realization.

"Naruto is the son of Minato and Kushina?" She asked, barely above a whisper, earning a nod from her friend.

"I ask that you keep this information to yourself. As I said, Naruto-kun really doesn't want it to be common knowledge."

"Why?" Kurenai asked, finding it a little odd that the young teenager didn't want it to be known that he was the son of the villages two most deadliest shinobi.

"Because he wants people to view him on his own accomplishments." Anko answered, even though it was partially a lie. Naruto simply wanted distance himself from his father as much as possible. Only using what would be beneficial for him and his new family. "Not what his parents did."

"That's actually quite humble of him." The ruby eyed woman mused, a little impressed that he didn't want to ride on the coat tails of his parents success like a select few clan heirs would have done. "You're not worried that the council may try to send their daughters after him to gain public favor?"

"Well, two clan heads already did, though for selfless reasons." Anko chuckled. "However, since he initiated it on himself, he gets to choose who his would be wives are. None can be forced on him."

"Well, I know Hiashi is one, since Hinata told me." Kurenai commented. "So whose the other?"

"Well, you're not going to believe this." Anko grinned. "Last week, Tsume had a lunch with Naruto-kun with Hana."

"How did this happen?!" The genjutsu mistress asked, clearly surprised.

"Well you'll have to talk to Hana to get the details, but I guess after Naruto-kun and his team did a D-rank mission for her veterinary clinic, she developed a crush on him."

"Wait, Hana developed a crush on someone?"

"Mmhmm." Anko grinned. "They went on their first date over the last week, and hit it off very well."

"Well shit, all he needs is to get me to fall for him and he would have all four of the Ice Queens of Konoha." Kurenai mused out loud to herself, making a small jab at their earned nicknames given to the four women by a majority of the male population of the village. Namely because they had always turned down any guy who had approached them.

However, she realized something. Naruto was the first to bed one of the infamous 'Ice Queens', by Anko's own admission, yet there was no bragging from him. If anything he had kept the entire thing fairly quiet. The only one who had been vocal about the experience had been the snake mistress herself.

"Well, there is always a vacancy." She teased, earning a playful scowl from the ruby eyed woman. Though she didn't miss a tint of a blush across the woman's cheeks.

"I don't know." The genjutsu mistress sighed. "You make it sound so perfect to be with him, but I don't know about sharing the guy I am with with others."

"Hey, you never know until you try it." The snake mistress grinned. "Anyways, we should probably rejoin the others."

"Actually there is one more thing." Kurenai stated as she just remembered something. "Last week, Kiba had said that he smelled Naruto all over Hinata as well as another woman…."

"Guilty." Anko admitted without any shame. "We celebrated Naruto-kun's admittance into the CRA with a threesome."

"Please tell me he is using protection." The ruby eyed woman sighed. "The last thing I need is for her to get pregnant and then have to explain it to her father."

"Relax, Naruto-kun developed a contraceptive seal that makes pregnancy impossible." Anko replied, reassuring her friend. "Come on, let's go."

Having finished their conversation, the two women returned to the dango stand to rejoin the other girls. For the most part, Kurenai was more at ease now that she knew exactly what was going on with her sister-like figure and the blonde boy, and the reasoning behind it all. Despite herself, she even felt a little intrigued at the invitation the snake mistress had presented her. Though for now, she decided she would silently observe how the blonde treated the girls that were with him.

* * *

**Uchiha Compound**

The Last Uchiha was not in the best of moods.

He had intended to corner his pink haired team mate after their training session and force her to submit to him, as he had now deemed her worthy of bare his children. However that plan got scrapped because of that loser, Naruto. The blonde had flat out refused to train with them, and what was even more infuriating for the lone Uchiha was that Sakura sided with the dobe and had left with the blonde loser.

He had suspected something was going on between the two since their mission in Nami no Kuni, with how close the two had appeared, almost as if they were intimate in some way. Though he knew that Naruto was with that snake whore. Unless the blonde was being unfaithful towards his woman, which only caused Sasuke to inwardly smirk. He knew he would have to get Sakura away from Naruto, and what better way then to expose his unfaithful and scandalous ways.

As he was musing of how to approach his female team member, a knock sounded at his door. Prompting him to scowl at being interrupted in his planning. Moving to the door, he opened it. Revealing an elder looking back with gray hair and beard, and glasses.

"What business do you have in my compound?" Sasuke demanded.

"Forgive me, Uchiha-sama." The elder man bowed. "I am Homura Mitokado of the Elder Council, and I have something very important I wish to discuss with you."

Sasuke pondered his evening visitor for a handful of seconds. He had recognized the man as one of his main supporters within the civilian council. Especially when the man before him had forced the civilian student to hand over all of his self made jutsu's before sealing the boys chakra and imprisoning him and his entire family.

"And what is it that you wish to discuss, Elder Homura?" The Uchiha inquired, his tone surprisingly polite.

"We of the Elder Council would like you to consider submitting yourself for the Clan Restoration Act, which has been sullied as of late." The councilman stated with disgust at the last bit. "With the sole survivor of the elite Uchiha clan, you would greatly redeem the village. We have compiled a small list of women to be your potential brides."

"I am not interested in weak women." The Uchiha spat. "And what do you mean the Clan Restoration Act was sullied recently?"

"Forgive me Uchiha-sama." The older man sighed, cursing the privacy law that had been placed to protect those who were placed under the act. What was even more infuriating was that it was a law that he himself had helped pass years ago. "But I am unable to reveal current CRA members, however I feel you may find the list of women we have compiled agreeable."

'_If I am in the Clan Restoration Act, I could force Sakura to be mine.'_ Sasuke thought to himself, though immediately shook that thought away. It would be a waste to use such power on her. Despite how strong she is now, she is still no doubt obsessed with him. If nonthing else, he could even get Kakashi to help lure her in. _'No, I will use this chance to get THAT bitch from the bridge.'_

"Let me see the list." He demanded, forming a plan in the back of his mind to get vengeance on the ice bitch from the bridge that humiliated him.

Nodding, the elder man produced a small scroll and handed it to the raven haired teen. Snatching it from the mans hand, Sasuke began reading over the small list of girls provided. It wasn't much, a handful of civilian girls, but there were a few names that stuck out to him, or rather clan names. Namely Hana Inuzuka and Hanabi Hyuga.

"Is this it?" His tone disappointed at the small list of 'strong' girls that would be worthy of him.

"I apologize Uchiha-sama." The elder man bowed. "But these are the strongest females in your age group."

"If I do this, I can get any girl I want. Correct?" He asked, a small grin forming at his lips.

"Within reason Uchiha-sama." Homura answered. "Unfortunately, we can not officially force any woman who is already in a relationship to join. However, if they are single, they can be pressured into it through financial or other means as needed."

"Very well." Sasuke smirked. "I will do this, but I want that ice bitch, Haku; to be my first. And I demand that her chakra be sealed."

"Of course Uchiha-sama, that will be easy to arrange given her current status of earning her citizenship in the village." The councilman replied. "But why seal her chakra, from what we reviewed in Hatake's report she is very formidable."

"That bitch humiliated me, and she needs to learn her place beneath me."

"It will be done." The elder stated, a small smile on his face that he had finally managed to talk the stubborn boy into joining the Clan Restoration Act. As for the Haku girl, it would be easy to arrange to have her placed under the Uchiha's custody. "You will have the girl by tomorrow morning to do with as you please. Have a good evening."

As the councilman left, Sasuke could only grin to himself. A dark and cruel grin, as he imagined all the ways he would make Haku suffer under him. He would break her, take away her dignity, her self worth, and after she had learned her place under his heel, he would use her as a stress relief once he had rendered her barren. The Uchiha had no plans to have her bare any of his children, this was merely a matter of pride.

* * *

**Hokage's Office, The Next Morning**

Hiruzen did not have a good feeling about what was about to transpire. He knew it was going to a long morning when he was approached by the three Elder Council members, informing him that the last Uchiha had agreed to enter the Clan Restoration Act, and that it had already been approved by the Shinobi Council and that they requested his presence during the meeting along with Naruto, Anko, and Haku.

Silently, the Hokage was cursing the three elders for going behind his back and usurping his power for their own gains. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he knew that the three elders were up to something. The elder village leader found it very convenient that the last Uchiha suddenly decided to submit himself merely a week after Naruto was admitted into the CRA. Sasuke Uchiha just didn't decide to enter into the Clan Restoration Act, he was clearly coerced into it.

With a heavy sigh, he waited for the three to arrive. He had dispatched ANBU Neko some time ago to summon the three shinobi to his office and expected them to arrive any moment now. Normally they would be here immediately, but he had a feeling that Neko was bracing the three for what she had over heard. No doubt coming up with a plan of some kind.

Hiruzen smirked at the thought.

While there was no solid evidence, the Third Hokage had a strong feeling that the Elder Council had promised the Uchiha the girl, Haku. Why else would they request that she be summoned along with her too roommates, one of which being her probation handler. Not to mention, he was well aware of what had transpired in Nami no Kuni and the incidents on the return trip.

A few more minutes passed before there was a knock on the door, signifying that they had finally arrived. When Naruto and Anko stepped into the office, it was very clear that they knew what was going on and were none too pleased by the coming meeting.

"I hope you have a plan Naruto-kun, because I do not like how this looks." Hiruzen stated sadly.

"Neither do I Ji-ji." The blonde sighed, though had a grin. "But if it's what I am thinking it is, we've already got it covered."

"Oh?" The elder man expressed, cocking a slight eye brow at the young blonde before him.

Without saying anything, Naruto moved over to Haku's side and took hold of her hand and kissed her knuckles tenderly, earning a blush and giggle from the ice user, before sealing the deal with a tender kiss on the lips.

"Shortly after Neko-chan arrived, I formally asked Haku-chan to be my girlfriend." He smirked, with the snake mistress mirroring the same smirk just behind him. "And as I recall, if someone is already involved with a member of the CRA, the council can't do jack shit."

"Good, good." The old man smiled as he felt a massive weight lifted from his shoulders. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Nodding, the four made their way to the council chamber, bracing for the uproar they were about to cause amongst the council members. Though in the back of his mind, Naruto was wondering why the Shinobi Council voted while the Hokage was absent from the initial meeting. Something didn't sit right with the scenario, as since it was a Shinobi and Clan matter, the Hokage should have been present. Unless the Elder Council wanted to hide something. This only caused the blonde to frown slightly. His mind put forth a multitude of scenarios. From the Elder's blackmailing the Shinobi council, to more outlandish; though not impossible, mental manipulations. Either through illusions or mind control.

He didn't have to long to ponder other scenarios as the quickly arrived at the large doors that lead to the council chamber. Storing away his theories to ponder later, he took a deep breath. Giving Haku's hand a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that it would be okay, and that he and Anko both would make sure she was safe. Giving the Hokage a nod, the doors opened and the quartet walked inside.

Once inside, they could see that both sides of the council had arrived. Though the blonde had noted that the 'special guest' that this was all about was absent. Probably felt like this was beneath him and he would just collect his reward later.

"Now that we are all present, let us get this meeting under way." Danzo stated, catching the attention of everyone present. Earning a glare from the Hokage.

"It would do you well to remember that I am the Hokage, and that I call when the meeting shall begin, Danzo Shimura." The villager leader stated, leaking out a moderate amount of killing intent. Driving the point home.

"Forgive me Hokage-same." The bandaged man replied. "I merely wished to get this meeting out of the way so we could all go about the rest of our day."

"Very well, let us start the meeting." Hiruzen stated, looking to the rest of the council. "Councilman Homura, you have the floor."

Nodding the Elder council member stood and cleared his throat before looking to Naruto and the two girls.

"As you all know, Sasuke Uchiha has submitted himself into the Clan Restoration Act this morning." He began, gauging the reaction from the trio before him. "He has chosen his first wife in Haku here, as he was impressed with her battle prowess when he engaged her during their fight in Nami no Kuni. However, he has requested that for her own safety, that her chakra be sealed off. Furthermore, Uchiha-sama has also selected Hana Inuzuka, and Hanabi Hyuga as potential brides as well."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the last part. He figured the emo duck ass would lower himself to ensure she was defenseless so he could take out his revenge on her. Then the fact that they were trying to pass on one of his mates to the bastard, didn't exactly help him calm down any. Even worse was that the elder's were throwing Hinata's little sister at the Uchiha as well.

"By order of the council Haku, you are to pack your things and move in with Sasuke Uchiha by noon." Homura finished, ignoring the glares Anko, and the entire Shinobi council was sending his way. "I am sure young Naruto Uzumaki can help you move."

"No." The blonde replied. "I won't, and she isn't going anywhere."

"You dare defy the council Uzumaki?" Koharu exclaimed.

"I dare because under your own laws, anyone already in a relationship with someone from the CRA can not be forced into anything." The blonde stated, causing the two elders to scowl as their own law was being used against them. They had passed that law to protect true Shinobi clans, not the demon brat. "Further more, you may politely inform Sasuke that Hana is spoken for."

"Do not forget you have a date with Hanabi tonight, Uzumaki." Hiashi spoke up, nearly causing Hiruzen to slip out of his chair in surprise. While the rest of the civilian side gasped in shock, and perhaps even horror that the man was having both his daughters involved with the boy.

"Of course not, Hiashi-dono." Naruto replied without missing a beat, quickly catching on to what the clan head was doing. "I will have her home before ten."

Despite the situation, Anko couldn't help but giggle to herself that Naruto had just gotten roped into another relationships against his will, though she had skillfully covered it up with a cough. Though it didn't go unnoticed to those in the room. What did go unnoticed, mostly, was that Naruto's shadow was now gone.

Hiruzen was the first, and only person to notice. Casting a quick look at the blonde, the old man stood up to address the remainder of the council, and to cover the boy to prevent anyone else from noticing. Though before he could speak out, a loud shrill echoed from across the table from a fat council woman.

"Too much!" The woman exclaimed as she began point at Naruto in anger. "The Kyuubi brat has been given too many women! We demand that he gi-urk!"

The woman didn't get to finish as two massive snakes coiled around her and clamped down onto her head. Injecting their venom into her brain, immediately killing her on the spot. As that happened, the rest of the civilian council looked to see a smirking Anko with a dark glint in her eyes that sent shivers down their spines.

"I do believe there is a law that prevents anyone, regardless of station, of speaking about that subject." She stated as she recalled her snakes. "Forgive Hokage-sama."

"Thank you Anko." Hiruzen replied before turning to address the rest of the council. "If that is all that was to be discussed, I hereby dismiss this session. I'm sorry Councilor Homura, but the women that Sasuke Uchiha has requested are already in a relationship with a member of the CRA. He will have to chose another."

Scowling the other man nodded, not looking forward to breaking the news to the last Uchiha that he wouldn't be able to get the Haku girl, or any of the clan daughters that were on the list. Silently, he shuffled out of the room behind Danzo and Kohura, both of which were similarly disappointed in the outcome of the meeting.

"Naruto, may I speak to you for a moment?" Hiashi asked as he approached the blonde.

"Of course Hiashi-dono." Naruto replied as he stepped off to the side to speak with the Hyuga clan head. With Haku and Anko joining him.

As the room cleared out, the elder Hyuga looked over the snake mistress and chuckled lightly to himself.

"I see now who is to blame for my oldest daughters sense of fashion." He commented, causing Anko to nervously chuckle, while scratching the back of her head. Mumbling that she was guilty. "Anyways Naruto, I would like to apologize for putting you on the spot like that."

"It's okay, I completely understand." The blonde stated, reassuring the clan head. "You want to protect your daughters."

Hiashi merely nodded. Grateful that the boy understood his position. He had not intended to offer his youngest daughters hand in marriage, but he knew that the blonde boy was a better option over the spoiled Uchiha brat. The Hyuga head didn't need his Byakugan to see what the raven haired boy had in mind for Haku when it was revealed that he had requested her chakra be sealed off.

"Thank you." Hiashi replied before sighing, not looking forward to the talk he was going to have with his youngest. "I suppose I should inform Hanabi of the arrangement."

"Don't worry Hiashi-dono." Naruto said. "I already sent one of my Shadow Clones to Hinata-chan to inform her of what had transpired, she has no doubt already informed Hanabi-chan by now."

Hiashi nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to the snake mistress.

"Try not to corrupt my youngest, would you?" He grinned before departing the room, leaving behind Naruto, Anko, Haku, and the Hokage.

"Well, that could have gone a hell of a lot worse." Anko quipped with a grin.

"I for one am glad it went as well as it did." Hiruzen stated. "I don't need anymore grey hair."

"Suppose I should start making plans for my date tonight." The blonde sighed with a small chuckle to himself.

"Speaking of which, how do you think Hanabi took the news?" Anko asked.

"Pretty well." Naruto replied, prompting the other three to raise an eyebrow. "According to Hinata-chan, Hanabi has had a crush on me since the first time she saw me."

"And Haku-chan, I will take you out on a date tomorrow night." The blonde said as he turned to the blushing ice user, who was nodding in agreement.

With the meeting over, the Hokage dismissed the trio to enjoy the day as he had given them the rest of the day off as an apology for being dragged into such a mess to begin with. Being sure to send one of his ANBU to inform Kakashi and the remainder of Team 7 of his choice to give them the day off. Though the old man couldn't help but chuckle at the lady killer his surrogate grandson was becoming.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And done!

This chapter was a bit of a pain to write due to all the dialogue and sub plot building. I wanted to try and make sure that each dialogue flowed naturally and didn't feel forced, and hopefully I succeeded in that.

Anyways, I snuck in one last girl into the harem. Hanabi, as she was constantly requested and this chapter gave the perfect opportunity to do so. So I hope everyone enjoyed her addition to the harem!

Also, we got to see some of what Sasuke is planning. One that had already failed in getting Haku. Though he won't give up on Sakura just yet. Though isn't it ironic as to how the two switched roles. Now Sasuke is the one chasing Sakura, lol. Not to mention I started laying a bit more of the ground work for Kurenai.

Anyways, as always be sure to leave your thoughts and suggestions with the reviews!


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors Notes:** Just a heads up, this chapter will start off with a time skip and will touch on what happened since the last chapter. Including a look at Sasuke throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child after being denied something he wanted.

We will also get to a small glimpse of the date that Naruto took Hanabi on, and her reaction to the news. However, please note that I will be increasing Hanabi's age so that she is only one year younger then Hinata. Though currently, I am unsure how much I will focus on the younger Hyuga because she was a last minute addition that the previous chapter gave the best opportunity for it.

Also, expect to start seeing a bit more interaction between Kurenai and Naruto in the coming chapters, now that she got her first real glimpse at what type of person he is.

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**Drakensongn24 –**_ I agree, I have seen many stories that depict him as uncaring and unloving to his daughters. So I wanted to portray him as a father in a tough position of trying to manage his clan and protect his daughters at the same time.

_**Iceflame55 –**_ Yeah, both Hinata and Hanabi are none to pleased with the Uchiha's actions. Though sadly, they must refrain from exacting revenge on him. If anything, to avoid any further issues down the road.

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – **_Whew, that's a long name. Anyways, as stated above, yes her age has been increased. As for sealing the deal, well you can see how Naruto is. He likes to take things slow and make sure his girls are comfortable.

_**BoredKing –**_ Sadly, Sasuke will live through the Shippuden timeline.

_**Selim636 –**_ Don't worry, there are some names even I am learning. Though it does give me more ideas that I can have Naruto go and explore and spread the name of Jashin. And yes, Hanabi's age has been increased.

_**Biginferno –**_ I plan on a few interactions between Naruto's girls and Sasuke. No doubt, there will be a few between the emo and Sakura.

_**YeagerMeister31 –**_ Of course, his plan was doomed to fail from the beginning! As for the emo's next plan? Throw a fit because he couldn't get what he wanted, and then cry to Kakashi.

_**Bastidaswilliam2005 –**_ True, though currently he is trying to get power back as the Elders and Civilian council have been undermining him. So he has to pick and chose his battles. Though, he knew Naruto already had a plan to prevent the council from succeeding in what they wanted, so there was no need for him to fight this battle, since it was already won.

And it was Hiashi's quick thinking that saved Hanabi, along with Naruto for recognizing what he was doing.

* * *

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hanabi, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

So yeah, going to open this up again. Go big or go home, so might as well go big, and make this the biggest, in Naruto-verse **completed** harem story! If you would like to see any girl who is not already in the list, feel free to suggest her along with how you think they should meet. I am also open to tossing ideas back and forth via private messages.

However, there are certain characters, such as Moegi, that I have different plans for. Also, I have no plans to add more gender benders. I feel I have enough in the harem already, and I really don't think Naruto could handle two Ino's.

Anyways, on with the story!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 17

**A Month and a Half Later**

It had been nearly two months since the Sasuke CRA incident. Nearly two months since Naruto and Haku had started dating as well as his sudden arrangement with the youngest Hyuga sister. The blonde still got a chuckle when he recalled just how the spoiled Uchiha acted when he learned he couldn't get anything he wanted.

In typical Sasuke fashion, the duck butt emo had tossed a massive tantrum, calling the council members useless that they couldn't even give him one girl and had immediately gone to the Hokage himself and demanded that he be removed for the CRA, citing that the act was just a waste of time and was not worthy of being used to spread the Uchiha's blood; in which Hiruzen had no problems in doing so, and gladly did. Furthermore, ensuring that all future CRA's admissions must be approved by the Hokage before moving to vote from the Shinobi Council. Making it very clear that any future attempts without the Hokage would be nullified on the spot and the individual seeking admittance would be banned from the Act all together.

During this time, Naruto had taken the lovely ice user out on a few dates. Allowing her to fully get to know him. As she was already living under the same roof as the blonde as his mates, she was privy to a bit more information then his other potential mate. She had learned the first night that everyone within the house were Jashinist. At first it had frightened her, though after sitting down and talking with the purple haired ANBU woman, she saw the difference in their faith compared to what she thought she knew of the religion.

It further shocked her to learn that they were also all half demons. Though her blonde boyfriend had sat her down and explained it in detail of how it came to be. How he was nearly killed on his sixth birthday and how his father had planned to manipulate him as a weapon for the village to conquer the known world, if Jashin hadn't intervened. The mere thought of a parent doing that to their child disgusted her to no end.

The surprises continued to come for the ice user upon learning that after that night on his sixth birthday, the goddess of blood and carnage made the blonde her champion and tasked him with a quest to restore her name within the lands by eradicating the cult that had sullied the goddesses name, as well as sending a handful of other corrupt souls to the goddess. Though in the end, what she had learned about her blonde boyfriend had only made her love and respect him more. Here was a boy who had been hunted down, beaten, and even nearly killed by his own home; yet he still had so much compassion for those around him, when he should very well want to see the world burn around him. So, it was with this in mind that Haku had asked Naruto to mark her as one of his mates.

As for the younger Hyuga sister, Naruto had been correct that the girl would be happy about the arrangement. In fact, the normal calm and collected girl was ecstatic, running around the compound to try and settle on something to wear for her date with the blonde. Much to the amusement of her father, and the ire of the Elder Hyuga council that had immediately disapproved of Hiashi's actions, citing that she could have served the clan better if she was given to the last Uchiha, instead of the demon brat.

Hiashi had merely ignored them, satisfied that he had thrown a massive wrench into their plans to manipulate his youngest all to 'honor tradition'. The clan head scowled at the concept of keeping a stagnant belief of what was traditional that would eventually ruin the clan, though he also knew that change couldn't happen over night and that, like a delicate flower, needed time to grow and blossom with the proper care and nurturing.

Unlike with the others, Naruto had refrained from divulging everything about himself to the younger sister. Deciding that she wasn't ready to have such sensitive information thrust upon her. So during their date, which was a simple walk through the park; ending in a private picnic between the two, Naruto had kept a large portion of himself under wraps. Only giving her scant details about his younger years and what his ultimate goals in life were.

However, he also didn't lie to her either. Informing her that there were still things about him that she didn't know and that he was not ready to talk about in detail just yet. Understandably she was disappointed that he didn't completely open up to her, but she did understand. This was literally the first time the two had even conversed with each other in a civil manner, the first time Hanabi had spoken to him, she wasn't exactly polite to him, and of course she knew about the villagers hatred towards the blonde. Thanks in no small part to the Hyuga Elders whom had attempted to taint her with the same hatred towards the boy.

* * *

**Flashback no Jutsu**

_Hanabi watched on as her older sister interacted with the blonde boy that was viewed as the bane of the village amongst many of it's populace. Especially among the Hyuga Elders and various members of the Main Branch. Internally, the young Hyuga girl was conflicted. The elders had told her countless times that the boy before her could and would only cause those around him pain and suffering. That he relished causing harm to others._

_However, what she was witnessing didn't support any of that. Her sister was smiling and laughing as the blonde boy trained with her. Something she didn't do within the clans compound. Furthermore, the blonde boy had been couching the older Hyuga girl in her training, helping her become stronger. Still, she wouldn't doubt what the Elder's had told her, there had to be a reason for them to warn her about the boy._

_An hour had passed before the older Hyuga girl and Naruto parted ways as their training session ended. Finally giving Hanabi the opportunity to confront the boy and get him to leave her sister alone and not defile a noble Hyuga with his taint. Though to her surprise, the blonde had yet to leave the training ground. Instead, it seemed as if he was waiting for her to come out of her hiding spot, as he took out a book and began reading._

"_Something I can help you with Hanabi-san?" He inquired as she approached him, not even bothering to look up from his book._

"_Stay away from Hinata, freak." She stated with all the fury and anger she could muster. Though, she was actually scared of what he would do. Having been told how dangerous he was by the Elders. However to her surprise, he merely chuckled._

"_Is that why you were spying on our training?" The blonde asked as he put his book away. "To see if what they say about me is true?"_

_Hanabi only scowled at the boy._

"_Tell you what, Hanabi-san." Naruto began as he approached her. "I will disappear from Hinata-chan's life if you can answer me one question, in your own words."_

"_And what would that be, freak?"_

"_If you can tell me, in your own words, why you despise me." He stated with a small grin. "And no repeating what others have told you. It must come from your own experience."_

_Hanabi could only gape in response as she tried to think of exactly why she hated him. Was it because he was around her older sister? No, she felt jealous, and maybe even envious that Hinata acted more open towards the blonde boy before her, but this didn't elicit hatred from her. As she continued to ponder the question, she came to realize that she didn't know why she hated the boy, only that she was suppose to._

"_I…. I don't know." She finally admitted, hanging her head in shame. Expecting him to laugh at her for her lack of an answer. To her surprise, she felt the soft touch of the blondes fingers, lifting her head up so that she could look at him. A gentle smile on his face._

"_That is the first step, Hanabi-san." Naruto replied as he slowly removed his fingers from her chin._

"_First step for what?" She asked, her voice quiet._

"_In thinking for yourself." He smiled once more as he stood up and walked a short ways away from her before looking back over his shoulder at her. "Question everything you're told from everyone. Your clans elder council, myself, and even the Hokage. Question everything."_

**Flashback no Jutsu Dispel**

These were the words the blonde had left her with on that day, and it was with these words that she began to see through the manipulations of the Hyuga Elder's. Which she was eternally grateful for. Especially since the elders began to try to manipulate her into hating her older sister, since Hinata continued to associate with Naruto. Much like they did with her cousin Neji, who now despised both Hinata and Naruto. The elders would constantly sanction spars between the two, in hopes that Neji, being a natural born prodigy would severely injure the Hyuga heiress, only for it to fail every time. Each time, Hinata would be wearing a trademark Anko grin, mocking the clan elders.

To this day, Hanabi still felt guilty about how she had first acted when she encountered Naruto. Even after he had reassured her that he held no grudge against her, and pointed out that if she didn't confront him that day, she would be a mindless tool like her cousin for the elders to abuse. Though it was relieved a considerable amount knowing that he didn't blame her.

* * *

**With Team 7**

It was the first time in the last six weeks that Team 7 was in the same place. With the quartet focusing mostly on training, and true to the blondes words, both Sakura and Naruto refused to train with Kakashi or Sasuke. Which, despite his desire to approach his pink haired team mate, suited the last Uchiha just fine. Though the silver haired jonin was becoming frustrated that the two refused any form of training or advice from him.

Now, the four of them stood before the Hokage. Awaiting their next mission, which was considered to be an A-rank, due to the sensitivity of the mission.

"I am sending your team to Kirigakure no Sato, Kakashi." Hiruzen began, eyeing the team in front of them. "This will be a diplomatic mission, as the new Mizukage has expressed interest in forming an alliance to aid in the villages rebuilding, now that their civil war had ended."

"I will do my best to ensure the mission is a success, and secure an alliance for the village." Kakashi bowed. "I do believe this mission will be a good learning experience for Sasuke and the rest of Team 7 in the ways of diplomacy."

The Hokage frowned at the jonin's wording. He could see that the man was still putting the spoiled Uchiha first before the rest of the team. At least the man was at the very least attempting to include the other two, if only slightly. Inwardly sighing, he turned his attention back to the rest of the team.

"Due to how you handled the Tora incident, I am naming you, Naruto, as the emissary for our village." The Hokage stated, earning a scowl from the Uchiha boy.

"Hokage-sama, are you sure that is wise?" Kakashi stammered in confusion. "Surely Sasuke or myself would be a better option to be the villages emissary."

"Are you questioning me, Hatake?" The old man challenged, prompting the cycloptic jonin to take a step back as the village leader leaked a considerable amount of killing intent.

"Of course not, Hokage-sama." The silver haired man quickly stated.

"When do we leave?" Naruto decided to speak up, ignoring that Kakashi was once again pushing the Uchiha once more.

"Early tomorrow morning." Hiruzen instructed as he handed the blonde a seal scroll. "This scroll is only to be opened by the Mizukage. You are dismissed for the rest of the day."

Both Sakura and Naruto gave a short bow to the village leader before departing the office. Leaving behind a furious Uchiha, for once again being passed over for an important assignment in favor of the idiot loser team mate, before he stomped out of the room. Leaving only Kakashi and the Hokage, the former not looking forward to how this coming conversation was going to go.

"Report Kakashi, how is your teams training progressing."

"Sasuke is progressing nicely and is even quicker to learn new techniques now that he unlocked his Sharingan." The silver haired jonin reported.

"And the rest of your team?" The hokage inquired with a clipped tone.

"Honestly, I don't know." Kakashi sighed in defeat. "I have tried to invite them to train with Sasuke and I, but the two refuse to train under me. They only show up for team meetings and missions, and the missions I suspect they use Shadow Clones to avoid any interaction with myself or Sasuke."

"This is of your own making, Kakashi." Hiruzen pointed out with a heavy sigh. "You favored one student over the others and pushed them away. In doing so, you have lost their trust in you."

The silver haired jonin could only nod his head in agreement. He knew he would have to earn back both Naruto and Sakura's trust. Problem is, he didn't know where to begin as both refused to talk with him unless absolutely necessary. With a sigh, Kakashi left the Hokage's office.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Having spent the previous night informing the others of their coming mission, both Naruto and Sakura had met up at the front gates. Reluctantly, Sakura had stayed at her mothers house, if only to allow her 'mother' to believe that she still lived there, mostly to avoid any suspicion. Knowing full well that despite not having any true power, her mother could still be a severe irritation to them. Something both her and Naruto preferred to avoid.

"I don't think Taida-sensei was to happy that the Hokage named you the envoy for this mission." Sakura commented with a small chuckle.

"No, it was clear that he wanted Sasuke to be the envoy." The blonde sighed, imagining all the ways that could go wrong. "He doesn't consider that the teme's ego would make things extremely tense between the two villages and all but ensure the proposed alliance would end before it even began."

Sakura could only nod in agreement. No doubt that if the Uchiha was named the envoy, the raven haired emo would demand instead of negotiate, and probably even threaten war if the new Mizukage did not submit to his demands. Especially after his display nearly two months ago. The pinkette still felt enraged at what the Uchiha had attempted to do under the guise of being in the Clan Restoration Act.

She had also noticed that the raven haired duck butt had been eyeing her lately. Ironic to think that months ago she would have been ecstatic that he had taken interest in her, only now she felt repulsed.

"Yo." A puff of smoke erupted, revealing the silver haired jonin, and a brooding raven haired boy.

The first thing Kakashi had noticed was that neither Sakura nor Naruto had their travel packs. However, the silver haired man wasn't going to make the same mistake he had when his team had originally left for Wave. He merely accepted that the blonde knew fuinjutsu, and had no doubt taught Sakura since the two of them were always together.

Which of course lead to his next problem, as he cast his eyes between the pink haired girl and the last Uchiha. Just before they had arrived at the gates, the raven haired boy had implied that he was interested in his pink haired team mate, and would like Kakashi to help her fall for him. While not full on asking for help, it was the closest anyone would ever get from the prideful Uchiha.

The cycloptic jonin knew that it was not going to end well. Still, he didn't see any harm in helping the boy. If it would help get the boys mind off of revenge for even a handful of minutes, he would do what he could to help. Regardless, it would be up to Sasuke in the end to woo the girl to his side. All he could do is get them alone together.

"Alright, to get to Kirigakure no Sato we will need to head east." Kakashi began, catching the attention of his students. "We will be stopping in Nami no Kuni before securing a ship to Mizu no Kuni."

"Great, we can catch up with Tsunami-chan and see how Wave is doing." Naruto grinned, earning a chuckle from his pink haired mate.

Only shaking his head in response, the silver haired jonin motioned for his team to move out. Already feeling that this mission was going to give him a massive headache.

* * *

**Three Days Later**

With no civilians, and no conspiring from the Uchiha at night, Team 7 had arrived in Nami no Kuni after only three days of traveling. Unknown to Kakashi or the brooding emo, Naruto had already sent a shadow clone ahead to notify his blue haired mate of their coming arrival. Which had surprised the remainder of Team 7 when the Wave Daimyo had greeted their arrival on The Great Naruto bridge.

Of course, there had been another reason that Naruto had notified Tsunami of their arrival. Due to their constant communication back and forth, the blonde hanyou had known that Jashinism was now practiced more openly within Wave. Something he knew that the lazy jonin would not understand nor care to. As a precaution, Tsunami had instructed the village to be subtle about their faith in front of both Kakashi and Sasuke.

Much like Naruto's other mates, Tsunami had changed slightly in appearance. Her body seemed more toned and athletic, while her eyes appeared to be more sharp. Another barely noticeable change was that she had black streaks in her hair now, similar to how Sakura and Naruto had in theirs, prompting the masked jonin to frown, pondering if there was a connection of some kind between all of them.

"It is good to see you again, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan." Tsunami greeted the two before her in a friendly manner before turning to the remaining two. "Hatake-san, Uchiha-san."

Both inwardly flinched at the cold tone in her voice as she greeted them. It was clear that she had only greeted them as a courtesy, and nothing more. It was not warm and friendly as it was for both Naruto and Sakura.

"It's good to see you again, Tsunami-chan." The blonde hanyou smiled, though half lying. Since he had been making regular visits to her throughout the weeks to check up on the village and of course spend time with his mate. "How is Inari and your father?"

"Both are doing well, after the shock had worn off." She giggled at the memory of both her father and son being rendered speechless upon learning everything after the team of shinobi had left. "Inari will be happy to see you."

"Unfortunately, we are on a mission of importance to Kirigakure and need to arrange travel across the seas and hotel rooms for the night." Kakashi interrupted the reunion, earning a soft glare from the Daimyo.

"The ship to take you to Mizu no Kuni will arrive early tomorrow morning." Tsunami informed the jonin. "And I have already reserved two hotel rooms for the night that you may stay in."

"How did you…."

"I sent a Shadow Clone ahead to let Tsunami-chan know we were coming." The blonde grinned. "How else did you think she knew to greet us at the bridge?"

"I see." Was all Kakashi could say as he cocked an eye brow at the blonde genin. Though he couldn't fault the young teenager, as it did make the trip a bit more smoother, and Wave was considered an ally to Konoha. "Good thinking, Naruto."

This prompted all three of the genin to raise an eye brow at the jonin, since he had actually praised Naruto instead of lecturing him about not following instructions and doing things on his own.

"Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan. Would you be kind enough to escort me to my office." Tsunami requested, giving the two a small wink that went unnoticed by the other two males.

"Of course, Tsunami-chan." Sakura answered.

"Alright, Sasuke and I will check in to the hotel for our rooms." Kakashi stated, knowing that he really couldn't argue with the Wave Daimyo requesting half of his team as an escort since they literally had nothing to do until the next day.

With a grunt, the last Uchiha followed after the silver haired jonin while casting a quick glare at the duo before quickly leaving. This of course did not go unnoticed by the trio, as the softly chuckled at the duck butts actions.

Once both Kakashi and Sasuke were out of sight, Tsunami brought her mate into a firm hug as she captured his lips with her own. Showing how much she had missed him, even though it had been no longer then a week since they had last seen each other.

"I want one too." Sakura pouted while crossing her arms in front of her chest, prompting the two to break their kiss and chuckle and their fellow hanyou.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, you'll get more then a kiss later." The blonde teased, causing the girl to blush much to Tsunami's amusement.

"Let's head to my office so that we may all catch up." The blunette suggested before leading the way. The two hanyous falling into step along side her.

As the three walked through the village, numerous villagers had stopped to greet the "Hero of the Wave", as he had been called, though the blonde had merely shrugged it off and requested that they treat him just like anyone else. Stating that he only did what any decent person would had done. Though the villagers knew that he was only being humble, which only served to elevate their view of him higher. Many mentally thanking Jashin for sending him to their home to begin with.

"No matter what you tell them Naruto-kun," Tsunami began as they entered her office. "They will always see you as the Hero of the Wave that liberated their homes from a tyrant. Not to say you didn't do anything, Sakura-chan."

"No, he deserves the recognition." The pinkette replied. "I was just starting to get out of my fan girl phase at the time. Naruto-kun was the driving force behind Gato's demise and the liberation of Wave."

"You know, Anko-chan is still waiting for that threesome with you, Tsunami-chan." Naruto grinned, prompting the blunette to blush in response.

Sakura as well, as she had also been invited a few times over the past few weeks, as the snake mistresses sexual appetite was insatiable. Something her Inner Self was in pure ecstasy about, and would constantly gush about. Not to mention the time Anko had organized a small orgy with herself, Hinata, Ahri, and the snake mistress. Needless to say, she never knew Shadow Clones could be used in such a way. Even better was that Naruto had done it in such a way that none of them knew which one was a Shadow Clone and which one was the real Naruto.

"Maybe during your villages Chuunin Exams, as I understand should be coming up in a few months." The woman replied with a grin, breaking Sakura out of her memories.

"Yup, they start a month after my birthday." Naruto answered, though he didn't miss the mischivious look in both Tsunami's and Sakura's eyes when he mentioned 'birthday'. Immediately, Ahri began to flood his mind with mental images of Sakura and Tsunami making out with each other, on top of a large cake cover in frosting.

'_That wasn't nice Ahri-chan.' _He mentally replied.

'_**Don't act like you wouldn't love that.'**_ The fox girl grinned.

'_No, I would. But I also think you would look good covered in frosting as well.' _He smirked, prompting the kitsune to blush at the image.

"I've noticed that the villagers don't take too kindly to Sasuke-teme and Taida-sensei." Sakura commented, as she had observed many of the civilians glaring at the raven haired emo.

"Many still hold the two at fault for nearly making things worse." Tsunami explained. "For example, if Naruto-kun had listened to Hatake-san, Gato would have gotten a bargaining chip in myself and my son."

"I'm just glad Naruto-kun had the foresight to ignore Taida-sensei." The pinkette replied as she recalled the incident.

"Also, the Uchiha's arrogance after Gato had been killed hadn't exactly warm the people up to him." The Wave Daimyo frowned, before turning her attention back to the blonde before her. "So, going to Kirigakure?"

"Yup, the Mizukage had sent notice that they are interested in an alliance with Konoha." Naruto explained.

"I dread to ask who the envoy for this is."

"You're looking at him." Naruto smirked, eliciting a chuckle from the pinkette. "Ji-ji made it very clear to Taida-sensei that I was the best choice for this. Though I suspect that the Mizukage requested me by name."

"Why do you think that, Naruto-kun?" Inquired Sakura.

"Think of it, almost all teams are in the village and are free to do this mission." The blonde pointed out. "Not to mention, some of those teams, like Team 9, are more experienced. So why send a still newly minted team, unless one of us was specifically requested. Also, keep in mind, who had left for Kiri after our mission here."

"Zabuza." The pinkette answered, with Tsunami nodding her head in agreement.

"Exactly, I can only conclude that the rebels won the civil war, and that Zabuza-san put my name forward to the new Mizukage." Naruto concluded,

"Makes sense." Sakura stated. "You made a good impression on him before he left, enough so that he entrusted his adopted daughter in your care. Speaking of which, are you going to inform him of yours and Haku's relationship?"

"I plan to, though probably after negotiations with the Mizukage." The blonde answered. "I am sure a protective father trying to kill the envoy may disrupt the negotiations."

Both Sakura and Tsunami had to agree with that as they imagined Zabuza chasing Naruto around the village, threatening to cut him in half.

Hours ticked on as the three hanyou conversed with one another. Both Sakura and Naruto informing the blunette of how things were in the village back home as well as how Naruto got roped into another arranged relationship, much to the blondes embarrassment. Though the blue haired woman was proud that her mate wouldn't allow someone to be left to the abuse of another. On the other hand, Tsunami had brought the other two up to speed on how her own village was doing and how Jashinism was the most popular religion within the village, much in thanks to Jashin's own champion.

* * *

**Hours Later**

After socializing with the Wave Daimyo, and many of the other villagers on their way to the hotel, Naruto and Sakura finally made it up to their reserved rooms to see Sasuke and Kakashi waiting for them. The Uchiha was glaring at them, while the masked jonin was merely reading his infamous orange book.

"Sorry for making you wait, Taida-sensei." Naruto stated in a playful manner. "Tsunami-chan had wanted us to look over a few scrolls that she was going to send to Ji-ji about the on going trade agreement."

"Did she mention when the boat will arrive tomorrow?" He asked.

"Boat will be ready to depart at 5am." The blonde answered.

Looking at the clock on the wall, the masked jonin noted that it was already past seven.

"Then we should probably turn in early tonight." Kakashi suggested before turning to the three genin before him. "Naruto and I will bunk in the same room, Sasuke and Sakura in the room…."

"Nope, I am sharing a room with Naruto-kun." Sakura interrupted, ignoring the glare from the Uchiha. All the while dragging Naruto to the far room.

"Sakura, the room only has one bed." The masked jonin stated, a little disappointed that he couldn't get the girl and Sasuke in the same room together.

"Good, we plan on sharing a bed anyways." The pinkette smirked before closing the door behind her, leaving behind a gobsmacked jonin and an infuriated Uchiha.

* * *

**Omake, Chapter 11**

**(This is a 'deleted scene' from Chapter 11 that I had originally planned, but scrapped due to not being able to make it smoothly transition into Naruto discussing his admittance into the CRA)**

"Now, if that is all. Team 7, you are dismissed. Due to the difficulty of the mission, your team has the week off. No missions, and you will each be given pay for an A-rank mission." The Hokage stated. "Naruto, please stay. There is something I would like to discuss with you."

Nodding, Naruto turned to see his pink haired team mate look unsure of what to do. It was clear to him that she didn't want to be too far away from him. Giving her a soft smile, he pulled her into a gentle hug to reassure her that it would be fine.

"If you need someone to talk to, I'll be at my apartment later. Key is behind the third loose board on the wall." He whispered to her, earning a nod in confirmation before she left the office.

"I take it that Kakashi's report wasn't entirely accurate." Hiruzen began, having witnessed the interaction between the two just now. "And why do you look dead on your feet, Naruto-kun?"

"To answer the last question first, I haven't slept the entire trip back." Naruto sighed.

"Why is that?"

"One Sasuke Uchiha wanting to get revenge on Haku, as you know she humiliated him during the fight on the bridge." The blonde answered. "And of course, Kakashi would always arrive after he had already attempted."

"As for the report, surprisingly Kakashi was honest except you know as well as I that you can not 'accidentally' use the kawarimi on a living being." He continued, earning a nod from the elder man. "Though he did accuse me of stealing Yugao's Moon Dance Style."

"Would you mind if I have Inoichi confirm your statement, Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen inquired.

"Not at all Ji-ji." The blonde replied. "Sakura-chan had also stated she would submit her own memories as well, if needed."

Nodding, Hiruzen sent out another ANBU to summon the mind wallker. The two only had to wait a handful of minutes before a tall, blonde man with green eyes entered the room.

"You summoned me, Hokage-sama?" The man asked.

"Thank you for coming Inoichi-san." The Hokage greeted the new arrival. "And yes, I would like you to enter Naruto-kuns mind and confirm what he had reported about his recent mission."

Hiruzen then went on to give a summarized report of what he was told from both Kakashi and Naruto. Explaining that the things the blonde boy had told him greatly worried him, since one of his top jonins was dangerously close to committing treason with his favoritism towards the Uchiha boy.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" Inochi asked, getting a nod from the blonde boy, the Yamanaka placed his hand on the boys head. "**Saiko Denshin!**"

* * *

**Naruto's Mindscape**

After a momentary flash of light, Inoichi found himself in the middle of a field. Surprising the mind walker as most minds were cluttered hallways with disorganized memories and shades of color that represented the persons most prevalent emotions. Looking around, he spotted a lone house in front of him. At the door, a slender woman awaited him. Another thing he noticed was there was no giant fox anywhere in sight. Shrugging it off, he figured the boy had it locked away in a separate location of his mind.

"Welcome, Inoichi-san." The woman greeted as the man walked towards the house.

"Forgive my intrusion, miss." Inoichi apologized, figuring this woman to be a manifestation of the boy. Perhaps a mother figure, since Naruto grew up without the love of any of his parents.

"Ahri, and it is fine." The woman replied as she opened the door to allow him inside. "Naruto-kun told me you would be coming to check his memories. I have already set out the photo album for you. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes plesae." He smiled as he entered the house, spotting the mentioned photo album on the table. _'Amazing that Naruto could compartmentalize his memories in such a way.'_

Sitting down at the table, he began to sift through the album, focusing only on the 'photos' of the mission. Each picture playing like a small movie from Naruto's point of view. Inoichi was impressed at the combat prowess of the blonde, whom nearly everyone had dismissed as being the dead last of the academy, as he watched the fight between Naruto and Zabuza.

After a few moments, the woman identified as Ahri set a cup of tea down in front of him, with Inochi giving thanks to her hospitality. Meanwhile, the woman took a seat across the table and sipped her own tea. Inoichi couldn't help but blush when he came across the memory of Naruto and Tsunami going at it in her office, quickly flipping the page so as not to intrude on such a personal memory.

Nearly twenty minutes had passed before the blonde man was finished looking over the memories. What he had found had made him sick at his fellow jonins actions. There was not a doubt in his mind that Kakashi was treading on dangerous territory with his favoritism.

"Thank you for the tea, and allowing me to look through these." Inoichi stated as he handed the photo album back to the woman.

"It is not a problem, Inoichi-san." Ahri bowed. "I hope they helped."

Nodding, the blonde man faded from the boys mindscape. Missinng the fox like grin from the woman as she allowed her ears and tails to sprout forth.

* * *

**Real World**

"I must say Naruto, you have an amazing mind." Inoichi complemented before turning to the Hokage. "And I am afraid to report that Kakashi Hatake's report has been falsified to favor the Uchiha."

"I figured." The old man sighed.

"I take it you have the Kyuubi in a different part of your mind?" Inoichi turned his attention back to the blonde boy in front of him, earning a confused look.

"She should have been there." Naruto stated.

"The only one that was there was a young woman named Ahri…." The blondes mans words died in his mouth as he just came to the realization. "Sweet Kami, I just had tea with the Kyuubi."

This of course earned an eruption of laughter from the blonde jinchuriki, and the Hokage.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes: **So to get one thing out of the way, Kakashi is going to be bouncing back and forth in fulfilling his promise to Obito about looking after the last of his family, and balancing out his responsibilities towards his team as a whole. He also doesn't know about Sasuke's demands for Haku during the CRA incident.

Also, the current poll will be closing in a few days, so get those votes in!

As always, let me know what you think in the reviews or in private messages!


	18. Chapter 18

**Authors Notes:** And I am back once more!

First off, since this will probably be my last update for the year on this story, I want to wish everyone a Happy Christmas, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukkah, and so forth. Have fun with your friends and family, and have a safe and responsible New Year, and I will catch everyone in the new year!

So, as stated in the last chapter, Kakashi is going to be bouncing between favoring Sasuke and being fair to Naruto and Sakura as he struggles to find a true balance. Not to mention Sasuke himself is going to start being an annoyance to Sakura. Which ironically, has them switching roles as Sasuke now chases after her, and she finds him weak and annoying.

Also, we are going to get our first glimpse at Mei in this chapter, which I have something planned for her and Naruto which I can only hope that many will find amusing.

Now, a small announcement, as of this chapter, the poll is closed, with the following results

_**Yes – 81%**_

_**No – 19%**_

After she is brought back, Kushina will join the harem. However, I plan on having a lot of resistance between the two as they come to terms with their feelings for one another. So in other words, it will be a slow burn.

Also, I will reiterate, I have no intentions of doing a lemon scene between them.

**Review Corner**

_**Anuel AA –**_ There is darkness to come for sure. Things must always get darker before they get better.

_**Insanemaelstorm – **_Kakashi is still ignorant to how strong Naruto actually is, and has been stuck on fulfilling a self made promise to his fallen comrade to look after the Last Uchiha. Not to mention he has no accurate information on Naruto, mainly because he is too lazy and doesn't want to put his orange book down.

_**Phantom4ever1199 –**_ Great idea for Hotaru to be added, I will look into her and see what I can come up with.

_**3headed-dragon – **_I hope you enjoy how I plan for negotiations between Naruto and Mei will pan out.

_**CrimsonStarBlade – **_Fairly good idea, and also some good suggestions for the girls. Something to definitely look into as the story progresses further.

_**AnimeLoverQ8 –**_ Still a chance she could be added, though I need a means for her to interact with Naruto, especially with her being trapped in the moon currently. If I recall correctly at least.

_**W01frunn3r – **_You would think, but Kakashi is or rather, was planning to use Sasuke's focus on Sakura to keep his mind away from revenge on his brother. And the council is never going to learn to keep their mouths shut, at least not any time soon. Too drunk on power and feeling untouchable.

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hanabi, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

Once again, the list is open for new additions. Feel free to suggest and give me an idea of how our blonde half demon can meet with them, and how such meeting could turn out.

Anyways, that's enough yapping from me, on with the story!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 18

It was a rather awkward boat ride from Nami no Kuni to Kirigakure.

Kakashi couldn't even look at his other two students without his perverted imagination running wild of what the two of them were doing the previous night. Though he did know one thing, Sakura was a screamer. This of course confirmed the masked jonins suspicions that the two were intimate with one another. When he had seen the two in the morning, he had noticed that Sakura had a slight limp, but over all had a glow about her. Briefly, he wondered how Anko would react to the news before he recalled how the snake mistress had reacted when he informed her of Naruto's actions with Tsunami in his pitiful attempt to cause tension between the two.

'_She would probably ask for a threesome.' _He surmised with a frown, not aware of it already happening. Multiple times. Casually, he turned his attention to his other student, wondering how he was taking the not so subtle revelation.

This of course opened up other concerns for the silver haired man. One being his other student. With the request the boy had made prior to leaving the village, it was clear that the last Uchiha had taken notice of his pink haired team mate. Something in the pit of his stomach told him that the raven haired teen wasn't taking the revelation too well. Another concern that the masked jonin was facing, though not on a personal level, was how he was going to explain it if Sakura got pregnant. Due to, by extension, he would be held accountable for allowing such actions to happen.

On the other side of the vessel, the last Uchiha was simmering in his own hatred as he glared the blonde and pink haired couple, whom were at the bow of the boat they were on, both reading their respective books. The raven haired emo was infuriated at what had transpired last night, and even more so when the two continued to act as if everything was perfectly normal. His black eyes turned towards his supposed sensei.

'_Worthless fool couldn't even get us in the same room.'_ The Uchiha seethed. _'If the idiot could have done what I required, it would have been MY name she would be screaming out. Not that dopes!'_

As the raven haired emo continued to brood over the recent events, a small smile appeared on his face.

'_Still, this could work to my advantage.' _He grinned. _'With them being intimate with one another, it will crush her even more when I tell her of the losers affair.'_

Thus, the prideful Uchiha began to plot how he would reveal the blonde dopes lecherous ways.

"How long before we arrive, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked as she placed a book marker in her book and closed it. Sealing it away in one of her many seals that lined her vest.

"About two hours longer." The blonde estimated as he accounted for the time they had been on the boat already, and the distance between Wave and Kiri. "Maybe a little less, now that we are going with the tide."

Sakura nodded as she turned and laid her head on the blondes shoulder. Letting out a sigh of contentment at the close proximity of her mate, before a perverted grin came across her face.

"You know, we could always go below deck and have an encore of last night." She suggested seductively.

"You're insatiable, you know that right?" He chuckled. "Sadly, if we were to do that, the trip may take longer as we would no doubt distract the crew and the captain. Not to mention, the teme has been in a broodier mood then usual."

"Maybe now the bastard will take a the hint I am no longer interested in him." She remarked. "Besides, you're the one who forgot to put up the silencing seals."

"Did I forget to do that?" Naruto asked innocently while cocking an eye brow. Causing Sakura to widen her eyes in realization.

"You did that on purpose?" She asked, though she already knew the answer as a grin grew on her face.

"Of course, I already knew what Kakashi was trying to do the moment he said that he and I were sharing a room." The blonde replied. "And while I was expecting your reaction, it was still amusing to see it play out. And even if you didn't say anything, I would have. You are my mate, and I will not allow another to even think of you such a way."

"And I am proud to be your mate, Naruto-kun." She smiled, leaning in and kissing him tenderly. She loved it when his possessive side showed. It made her feel all the more loved.

Kakashi could only sigh as he saw the scene play out before him. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could imagine it was the usual lovey dovey stuff. Meanwhile, Sasuke's anger was starting to boil over. Even though the raven haired brooder had a plan, he still didn't like seeing what was rightfully his in the possession of another.

* * *

**Mizukage's Office, A Few Hours Later**

A beautiful auburn haired slender woman with fair skin sat behind the rather large desk that was adorned with various scrolls and other papers reporting on various events inside and outside the village that her emerald colored eyes scanned across. Dressed in a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that falls just below her knees. Her luscious auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back with a top knot tied with a dark blue band. Two long bangs covering her right eye.

In the room with her was a large man, with a massive sword on his back, leaning against the door way. A new Kiri headband around his head. This man was none other then Zabuza Momochi, former missing-nin.

"So tell me about this delegate you highly recommended." The woman asked as she put down the scroll she was reading and gazed upon the large swordsman. "I suspect he must be an accomplished shinobi if they are receiving such high praises from you. Perhaps a Jonin, maybe?"

"Actually, he is only a Genin." The large man nervously chuckled as the Mizukage fixed him with a glare.

"WHAT!?" She exclaimed. "You highly recommended a mere Genin to handle negotiations?"

"This gaki isn't your typical genin." He pointed out. "He had best me in a head on duel, and even now, I get the feeling he was still holding back. Not to mention, do you think I would trust just anyone with my adopted daughter?"

This caught the auburn haired woman's attention. While she had not met the girl personally, it became very clear to her early on when Zabuza returned to join the rebels, that the large swordsman cared deeply for the girl. Even carrying a small picture of her. When asked about it, he answered honestly that she was the reason he was fighting. Add to the fact that this genin had bested one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

"Tell me more about him." She instructed. "Name, appearance. Leave nothing out."

Zabuza frowned at the order, but obliged none the less.

"Let's see. He stands about 180 centimeters tall (5'9"), blonde hair with black streaks. Eyes are ocean blue. Athletic build, and usually wears a black trench coat….."

Unknown to the swordsman as he continued to describe the gaki, Mei was beginning to imagine what he looked like and was even starting to fantasize the blonde shinobi being her perfect husband. A blush creeping across her face.

"Um, Mei-sama?" Zabuza asked, seeing a glazed look come over her eyes.

"And what of the rest of his team?" She quickly asked as she snapped out of her fantasy, ignoring the confused look the swordsman gave her. Unknown to her, while she was fantasizing, the swordsman had already given a run down of the rest of the team members.

"As I said. Most of the team is worthless." He sighed, having to repeat it again. "The only one really worth a damn is the pink haired girl, Sakura. She shows promise. The other two are Sasuke Uchiha, and Kakashi Hatake. The Copy Cat Shinobi."

"The Uchiha is a spoiled brat whose ego out weighs his actual skill. Brat even performed a Kawarimi on his pink haired team mate to avoid an attack meant for him." Zabuza scowled at the memory. "While Kakashi is skilled as a Jonin, it appears having the Uchiha on his team has clouded his judgment."

"So expect the Uchiha to demand something, while Kakashi will probably more subtly present the Uchiha in a more favorable light." The man finished, having given the Mizukage the shortened version of what he had said previously.

Before they could continue talking, a knock sounded at the door.

"Forgive the interruption Mei-sama." An elder man with an eye patch apologized as he entered the room. "But the delegation from Konoha has arrived."

"Very well Ao, send them in." The woman instructed as she braced her self. One for the meeting over all, and two; she was excited to see if this Naruto would measure up to her expectations.

Silently, the elder man left only to return a few short minutes later with a group of four Leaf Shinobi. Leading the team was Kakashi himself, for once his nose was not stuck in his favored orange book. He had a bored look about him. Directly behind him was a brooding Uchiha, arms crossed over his chest. It was clear with the look on his face that the raven haired boy was not in the best of moods. Following the raven haired emo was a pink haired girl in a red vest. The first thing both Zabuza and Mei noted was that her pink hair now had black streaks through it as well. Prompting the swordsman to raise a non existent eye brow. The last that entered was the blonde genin himself.

At the sight of him, Mei couldn't believe her eyes. If anything, her little fantasy of the blonde didn't do him nearly enough justice. The Mizukage could only blush when her eyes fell upon the blonde. Aside from how Zabuza had described him, he appeared far more toned in muscle then the swordsman implied. Not to mention, he had an air of confidence and strength around him.

"Hey no brows." Naruto greeted the swordsman, causing the auburn haired woman to snicker as the large mans non existent eye brow twitched.

"Gaki." He replied evenly.

"So, which of you is the envoy?" The woman asked, as she eyed the occupants in the room. In truth, she already knew who the envoy was, but she wanted to see for herself if what Zabuza had reported was accurate about the masked jonin. She was not disappointed as she saw the mans eyes gaze over the raven haired boy for a moment, before reluctantly turning his attention to the blonde.

"Naruto here has the scroll from the Hokage." Kakashi answered, though his tone implied that the man still was not confident in the village leaders choice.

"Very well, you may present the scroll." Mei stated.

"Of course Mizukage-sama." Naruto replied as he unsealed the scroll Hiruzen had given him and handed it to the auburn haired woman.

"Please, call me Mei or Mei-chan." She winked as she took the scroll.

'_**Looks like you gained the attention of another woman, Naruto-kun.' **_Ahri teased from the back of his mind. _**'And a Kage no less.'**_

Naruto himself could only mentally sigh, despite not showing it on the outside. Turning his attention to his pink haired mate, he could see her struggling not to giggle at the interaction between the two.

'_Well, two can play this game.'_ He mentally grinned.

"Of course, I only merely wished to show such a beautiful woman as yourself the proper respect of your title, Mei-hime." He replied with a wink, prompting the auburn haired woman to blush.

'_**Oh damn, Naruto-kun just laid it on thick and heavy.'**_ Inner Sakura chuckled.

'_I know, maybe the Uchiha-teme could take some lessons from Naruto-kun on how to talk to a woman.'_ She mentally giggled as she could see the scowl on the Uchiha's face, a disappointed look on their supposed sensei's face.

"Naruto, you are to be discussing official business from Konoha." Kakashi reprimanded. "Not flirting with women."

As he said this, he missed the scowl that now adorned the Mizukage's face before she turned her attention back to the blonde in front of her. Opening the scroll she had been given, she began to browse over the various items the Hokage and by extension, Konoha was offering and requesting for the two villages alliance.

Majority of what was written was the usually mundane stuff that literally every alliance was offered. Aid during times of war, help with supplies and trade routes, and so forth. Of course Hiruzen had extended an offer for the two of them too meet in person to discuss the finer details of the alliance, so that both villages prospered under the alliance.

"Very well Naruto-kun, let's get down to business then." She smiled at the blonde across from her. "The rest of you may leave while we talk."

Reluctantly Kakashi ushered the rest of his team out, followed by Zabuza, though not before casting a warning glare to the blonde. Though it wasn't missed by the auburn haired woman that the girl identified as Sakura gave the blonde a small wink before exiting with the rest of the group. Closing the door behind them.

"I take it there is something between you two?" Mei inquired, her eye brow raised in curiosity.

"She's one of my girlfriends." Naruto replied honestly.

"And yet you were openly flirting with me in front of her?" The Mizukage asked, her eye brow twitching.

"There is a special circumstance involving me." He coyly replied with a smirk.

"And what exactly would that be?"

"Well…."

* * *

**With Sakura and Others**

Having left the Mizukage's office, the group had shuffled into the hallway. Pondering what to do to pass the time while Naruto and the village leader discussed the partnership between the two villages. From her position along the wall, Sakura could see that the lazy jonin was still upset at the fact that Naruto was in charge of negotiations instead of the Uchiha. In fact, she was pretty sure that if the Hokage hadn't given the scroll directly to Naruto before they left, that the silver haired man would have attempted to push the Uchiha into position for negotiations.

'_That would have ended in disaster.'_ She mentally thought, earning a mental nod from her inner self in agreement.

"Sakura, why don't you and Sasuke check out the village while we wait." The masked jonin suggested, though it was clear to the pink haired hanyou what he was attempting to do. Get her alone with the Uchiha.

"Perhaps it wasn't clear last night, Taida-sensei." She leveled a glare at the silver haired jonin. "So I am going to spell it out for you. I am with Naruto-kun, so stop trying to get me alone with the duck ass. Now, perhaps you two should enjoy your date together."

Hearing this, the Uchiha scowled in anger as he moved to lash out at his pink haired team mate for having the audacity to look down upon him. She should be begging him to spend time with her, not fawning over the clan less dobe. However, he was stopped by Kakashi who merely frowned at his students words. With a heavy sigh, the cyclopotic jonin lead the seething Uchiha out of the building.

"Well, that was interesting." Zabuza laughed at the exchange between the two. "So you and the gaki huh?"

"Bastard has been trying to get me alone with the duck ass-ed teme nearly the entire trip here." Sakura scoffed, before turning her attention to the larger man. "And yeah, shortly after we returned from Nami no Kuni, Naruto-kun and I started dating."

"Well, you two were always close from what I saw, so I guess it is was only a matter of time before you two would get together." The large swordsman commented. "Poor Haku, she had a crush on the gaki."

"Oh, she is dating him too." The pinkette grinned as she watched Zabuza's eyes widen in shock, and then to furious anger.

"WHAT!?" The man raged. "You're telling me he is two timing on my little girl and you're allowing it!?"

"Relax Zabuza-san, it's nothing like that." She chuckled as she saw the eyebrow-less man grab hold of his massive sword. "Naruto-kun is part of the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act, since he is the last of two clans. Plus he has a bloodline. This allows him to legally take multiple wives, though he is very adamant that it must be a union of love."

"So how did my Haku get dragged into this?" The large man asked, after relaxing a little upon hearing the new information. Though still not liking the idea of his adopted daughter in such a relationship, but as long as she was happy, he really couldn't object.

"Well, originally Naruto-kun wanted to take it slow and let her decide when she wanted to start the relationship. However, the bastard Uchiha had other plans." Sakura scowled at the memory. "Sadly, the bastard is the last of his clan as well. So he tried using the CRA to trap Haku-chan with him, with her chakra sealed. Thankfully Naruto-kun saw through what the Uchiha planned as was able to prevent it, simply by asking Haku-chan to officially be his girlfriend."

"And if she is already with someone that is in the program, she can not be forced into being with someone else." Zabuza surmised. "Very smart gaki, very smart."

"Yeah, Sasuke-teme threw a massive fit when he didn't get what he wanted and pulled himself from the program." She chuckled. "Anyways, speaking of the duck ass, I should go follow them to make sure they don't get into any trouble."

"I'll come along with you. There are still pockets of blood line haters, and with the ego of the Uchiha brat, he is guaranteed to attract attention."

Nodding, the two departed the Mizukage tower to trail the two Sharingan users. Though Sakura's instincts were screaming that something was going to happen involving those two, something bad.

* * *

**With Sasuke and Kakashi**

Sasuke was pissed.

That pink haired bitch had the audacity to blatantly disrespect him in front of others. Even more so that she would chose that dobe over him, a Uchiha Elite! Not to mention how she casually talked about what her actions with that she did with blonde loser last night without any shame.

'_She will be MINE!'_ He seethed before he turned his attention to the masked jonin that was walking alongside him with his nose in his infamous orange book. "You couldn't even get her alone with me for five minutes. That is all I need to make her mine."

"Mah mah, you shouldn't worry about it." Kakashi waved dismissively, though frowning at how his favored student was acting. Perhaps it was best if Sakura was already in another relationship. Sasuke merely scoffed at the lazy jonins words.

"She should be begging to be with me. Not that clan less loser." Sasuke gritted out. "I'm an Uchiha elite! She should be spreading her legs for me and me alone!"

Kakashi could only frown as he listened to the raven haired boy rant, shaking his head with a sigh. Turning his attention back to his orange book. Though while it appeared he was reading, his mind was elsewhere. Namely his pink haired student. He could have sworn her eyes held a yellow tint when she spoke to them moments earlier. Then there was also the black streaks that she now sported in her hair. Lastly, he had noticed a tattoo like design on her, just where her shoulders met her neck. Further more, he could have sworn he had seen that exact same design somewhere else.

"Did you say you were an Uchiha?" A young woman asked as she approached the duo, snapping the masked jonin out of his thoughts.

"That's right." Sasuke replied arrogantly as he turned towards the young woman who had approached the two.

He noted that she was fair looking, with an aqua blue colored hair and vibrant green eyes. Giving her a truly exotic look. She wore a lime green blouse with a large enough opening in the front to allow the arrogant Uchiha boy to get a good look at her ample cleavage. Especially when she would bend over to further entice him. Accompanying the lime green blouse, she wore a black pair of bicycle shorts that hugged her posterior firmly. To finish off her outfit, she wore a pair of black open toed combat kunoichi sandals that stopped just below her knees.

"Oh my, I never thought I would meet someone from such a prestigious clan." She smiled as she approached him, putting an extra sway into her hips. Prompting the poor boy to follow them with his eyes as she did so, a cocky smirk on his face.

"And you are?" Kakashi interrupted as he gazed upon the young woman in front of them.

"Ah, forgive me. I am Sohryu." She replied with a short bow, though kept eye contact with the masked jonin. "And it's always been my dream to meet someone from such a well renowned clan."

"And perhaps even, bear one of their children, if you are willing." She coyly smiled with a seductive wink towards the young Uchiha, bending over slightly to allow him to see down her blouse.

As Kakashi watched on, he felt something was off about the entire scenario, though his thoughts were scattered and unfocused. All he could do was stare at the woman's beauty. A few times he tried to shake away the feeling of lightheadedness, but to no avail. His lone eye wandered over to his student in concern, noting that the young Uchiha was solely focused on the beauty before him.

"Why don't you both come with me." She smiled as she extended her hand towards the boy. "I have lotsof friends who would just love to meet and have fun with such a strong man from the mighty Uchiha clan."

With no control over their actions, the two Sharingan user's began to listlessly follow the beautiful woman as she began to lead the duo into an isolated ally way. After a few moments of walking, the aqua haired beauty lead the two into an opening area isolated away from the main streets of the village. Immediately, Kakashi knew something was wrong. As soon as they entered the opening, he felt all of his chakra suddenly drain away.

"Now then handsome, ready to have some fun?" Sohryu asked as she wrapped her arms around the young Uchiha, eliciting another cocky grin from him.

So focused was he on the woman in front of him, that he didn't notice just over a dozen of people that began filling into the area. Each with various weapons, from kunais, to broken bottles and lead pipes. Some shinobi, others mere civilians whom still held a deep seeded hatred towards those with bloodlines.

Before Sasuke could respond, the woman in front of him kneed him in the stomach, causing him to double over and cough for air, not expecting the attack.

"What the hell you bitch!?" He demanded after catching his breath, only to receive a malicious chuckle from her.

"Did you really think I would be spreading my legs for such an arrogant little shit stain." She replied as she sauntered away. "You were so easily to manipulate with your ego, I barely had to use my Siren's Call Genjutsu on you. Your friend here though, I really had to focus on him to keep him pliable."

Looking over, Sasuke could see four large men keeping the masked jonin detained, unable to move to help his student. Despite the mans struggling, the four others kept him firmly held in place as a fifth person approached him with a rather large knife. Knowing he had to do something, Sasuke tried to activate his Sharingan, only for nothing to happen. A look mixed of shock and fury came across his face as he glared at the woman once more.

"Aww, are you trying to activate your bloodline?" Sohryu taunted. "I'm afraid the moment you entered this area, all your chakra has been drained away and sealed off. So your precious little blood line and jutsu's are worthless right now."

This earned a round of laughter from the group as they began to close in on the lone Uchiha, while Kakashi still struggled against his captors. Without any warning, one of them rushed in from the right and delivered a devastating blow to Sasuke, sending the young Uchiha to the ground. Once he hit the ground, more from the mob of people began to rush forward and take turns beating and kicking him. Some using blunt weapons like boards and pipes as they continued to pummel him.

"You know, he may be an arrogant asshole." A voice sounded from above, prompting the group to look up at a pink haired kunoichi whom was accompanied by a well known figure to the group. "But I can't allow you to kill him."

Jumping down, Sakura stared down the mob of people that were assaulting her team mate and sensei, and she used those terms very loosely. Without any hesitation, she quickly moved to intercept the man wielding the knife in front of Kakashi, delivering a massive kick to the mans sided, launching the attacker into a pile of wooden boxes.

Two more of the mob rushed forward to attack the new arrival, only to be swiftly cut down by Zabuza's massive blade, prompting everyone else to scream out in horror upon seeing their fellow blood line haters split in two by the mans massive blade.

Seeing that Zabuza had her back, Sakura swiftly moved to where Kakashi was still struggling against the four holding him. Delivering a fast punch to one of the mans stomach, causing him to release the masked jonin, giving Kakashi a bit more room to move. Without delay, the pink haired hanyou grabbed the mans head and jumped, delivering a knee of the face, effectively knocking him out.

Turning, she could see that Kakashi had finally managed to free himself, knocking two of the men out before rushing over to aid the fallen Uchiha, causing the pinkette to scoff. She knew his injuries were no where near as bad to require such concern, at most he would have a few minor bruises, as well as to his pride.

Shaking her head, Sakura turned her attention back to the remaining group who were now attempting to flee. Not that she could blame them, Zabuza was slicing through them with no remorse. Among his victims, was none other then the young woman who had lured Kakashi and Sasuke into the ally way. After a handful of minutes, the mob had been dispersed, mostly by Zabuza leaving the four of them standing among scattered bodies, many of which were cleaved cleanly in half.

"I would have had them." Sasuke arrogantly stated, causing both Sakura and Zabuza to roll their eyes at the boys ego.

"Of course you would have." The large swordsman said dismissively, earning a glare from the raven haired emo.

"You've improved, Sakura." Kakashi stated, recognizing her skill when she had dispatched his attackers.

"Naruto-kun is a good teacher and actually helps me train." She replied, taking a jab at Kakashi's overall performance as the teams sensei.

The masked jonin only looked down to the ground in shame, knowing full well what his pink haired student was implying. Not saying a word, he followed Zabuza back out into the main streets of the village, leaving both Sasuke and Sakura behind to catch up.

"So you're no longer a pathetic weakling, I guess that dobe is good for something." Sasuke stated as he looked over the pinkette's form, causing her to glare at him for his words against her mate. "You should feel honored now."

"And why is that?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the Uchiha.

"Because I now deem you worthy of bearing my children to help restore my great clan." He smugly stated. "Leave that pathetic loser and stand by me, just like how you always wanted to."

"I guess you do live up to your Uchiha reputation." Sakura responded. "Always trying to steal the work of others."

This of course caused the raven haired boy to cast an anger filled glare at the pink haired girl for her comment against his clan.

"And besides, I am loyal only to Naruto-kun." She stated with finality in her voice.

"Too bad he isn't loyal to you." He smirked, knowing that she had walked right into this revelation that he was all to happy to enlighten her about.

"Oh?"

"Didn't you know?" Sasuke continued. "You ever so loyal 'Naruto-kun' is fucking that snake whor-"

He never got to finish as Sakura and quickly rounded on him and grabbed him by his throat, lifting him up in the air much to his shock and horror as her eyes flashed an eerie yellow, showing her anger at the arrogant boy before her.

"I believe Naruto-kun already warned you about speaking of Anko-chan like that." She grinned, though this grin carried a malicious feeling behind it. "And for your information, Uchiha. I am well aware of Naruto-kun's interactions with Anko-chan."

Seeing that Sasuke was starting to turn blue due to the lack of oxygen, she threw him to the ground harshly. Sneering down at him, she turned and left the area. Leaving behind a seething Uchiha who was now trying to catch his breath, before struggling to get up to follow the rest of his team.

* * *

**Mizukage Tower, A Few Minutes Later**

After the confrontation between Sasuke, Kakashi and the remnants of the blood line haters, the group found themselves back in the Mizukage Tower. Though tensions were thick between Sasuke and his pink haired team mate. He was still livid about what she had not only did, but also told him. Though he also carried with him a healthy amount of fear of her as well, her yellow eyes not leaving his memory. He saw what they promised. Pain. Pure, unbridled pain if he dared encroach upon her territory again. Not to mention the strength she had displayed. Not that he would admit it.

As the group neared the doors leading to the Mizukage's office, soft moaning and giggles could be heard through the door. Sakura mentally chuckled to herself, whilst Kakashi quickly moved over to the doors and threw them open, exposing the auburn haired woman now straddling the blonde in his chair with her arms wrapped around his neck as they continued to make out with one another.

"Naruto!" Kakashi exclaimed. "What do you think you are doing!?"

"Negotiating." The blonde smiled as the two broke their kiss. "And I think negotiations are going well."

"Very well." Mei chuckled, as she leaned in and kissed him once more before getting up off his lap.

"And you're okay with this?" The masked jonin asked as he turned to the pink haired girl next to him. Expecting the young girl to start screaming and even beating on her blonde lover.

Instead, Sakura was merely shaking her head and chuckling. Without saying a word, Sakura made her way over to the two newly acquainted lovers and draped her arms around Naruto's neck before giving him a small kiss on the cheek before turning her attention to the auburn haired woman in front of them.

"She does know she has to share, right?" The pinkette grinned. "Also, does she play for both teams? I am sure Anko-chan will be wanting to have some fun too, as well as me."

This of course prompted Mei to giggle as she blushed at the implications, before giving the pinkette a subtle wink.

Meanwhile Kakashi and Sasuke could only look on at the scene playing out before them. Shaking his head, the silver haired jonin only had one thought going through his mind.

'_Lucky son of a bitch.'_

**After Life**

Kushina was relaxing in the realm of Jashin, having formally been introduced to the goddess after she spoke with her son, and had decided to get to know the goddess better to discover if Jashin had any ulterior motives for the young blonde. She was surprised that the goddess of blood and carnage did have one ulterior motive, though it wasn't one she was expecting. To be her eventual husband,

While she relaxed, the red head suddenly sneezed before feeling fury flow through her body.

"Someone just called me a bitch, I know it." She seethed, "If I find out who it is, I am going to rip their arms off and beat them to death with them."

**With Kakashi**

The silver haired jonin felt a shiver of dread wash over his body for some unknown reason, prompting the masked shinobi to gulp in fear and cautiously look around the room.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap!

I've been looking forward to doing this interaction between Mei and Naruto for awhile now. Just because I can imagine Mei doing that, especially with how handsome Naruto is and his natural charisma.

Now, keep in mind neither Kakashi or Sasuke know about Naruto being in the CRA, so it is natural to think that Naruto is merely sleeping around and toying with the various women's emotions. However, they will learn in the next chapter or so.

Also, speaking of the next chapter, Yakumo makes her debut and I have something very interesting planned for her and Naruto. Not to mention, Kurenai will finally get to meet Naruto in person.

Anyways, as always, leave your thoughts, comments, and suggestions in the reviews. Or feel free to send me a private message. And with that, I will see everyone next year!


	19. Chapter 19

**Authors Notes:** Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a great Holiday Season and got at least most of what they wanted. Me personally, I made off like a bandit. Got all five of the Devil May Cry games, as well as a Steam gift card, in which I also picked up the Naruto Ninja Storm games, and then topped it off with the Ardyn DLC for Final Fantasy XV. So good haul this year.

So in the previous chapter, we saw Mei and Naruto flirting with one another before progressing into some very intense negotiations, that were very successful for both parties involved. Sakura and Zabuza caught up with what everyone has been up to, and much to Zabuza's dismay, he learned that his adopted daughter is in a relationship.

Not to mention Sasuke and Kakashi found themselves in trouble when they were lead into a trap by some of the remnants of the Bloodline Haters that are still around in pocket groups. Fortunately for them, and unfortunately for us, Sakura and Zabuza were able to save them before anything serious could happen.

Which of course lead to a small confrontation between Sasuke and Sakura, in which our lovely pink haired hanyou rightfully put him in his place in terms of her relationship status.

Now to be clear on some things, due to her half demon heritage now, Sakura is physically stronger and faster then Sasuke. However, in an all out fight, Sasuke can still hold his own due to his Sharingan to read her movements, and because he has a wider variety of jutsu's to use due to him being spoiled by nearly everyone in the village, as well as the Elder and Civilian Council.

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**CrimsonStarBlade – **_For this story, I want to focus only on Naruto-verse girls. However, characters from video games are allowed, as long as the game in question is a pure Naruto title. So no Boruto or Jump Force titles.

On a side note, I do have a cross over Naruto story in the pre-planning stages. Though the harem in that story will be significantly smaller.

_**3headed-dragon –**_ I know, but I will work on a flashback scene to show the conversation Mei and Naruto had. To be honest, I just wanted to focus on Mei flirting with Naruto and have Kakashi walk in on them making out for comedic timing.

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark –**_ Yup, Yakumo incoming! She is going to be one of the girls that gets a bit more spotlight, since she is a rare pairing for Naruto, and I have some twists for her introduction. And yes, Kakashi is going to be screwed when Kushina finds out how he has neglected to train her son, and then some.

_**HyperA2019 –**_ Sakura has already unlocked her "bloodline", back in chapter 15, Naruto took her aside and helped train her with her hanyou abilities. The only one who hasn't is Anko, and I will expand on that in a later chapter.

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hanabi, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, _**Kitchen Sink,**_ Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

Someone commented that I had everyone but the Kitchen Sink, so I added the sink to make the list truly complete.

**New Poll is up! This one is for you perverts out there.**

Anyways, on with the story!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 19

**Konoha, Four Days Later**

"Mission complete, Ji-ji." Naruto stated happily, while he handed the scroll Mei had given the blonde to the elder Hokage.

Smiling, Hiruzen took the scroll while taking a moment to look over the team in front of him. The elder man could see that something had happened during the mission, simply by the way Kakashi was eyeing Naruto in what appeared to be disappointment and jealousy, whilst the sole Uchiha was brooding more then usual while casting apprehensive glances at Sakura. Meanwhile, Sakura stood next to Naruto, almost leaning against him.

"Very well, Naruto-kun you stay." The Hokage stated as he turned to the rest of Team 7. "The rest of you are dismissed."

With a small bow, the silver haired jonin lead the brooding Uchiha out of the office, whilst Sakura stole a quick kiss from Naruto before leaving as well, earning a small chuckle from the elder village leader. Once they were alone, Hiruzen turned his attention to the blonde in front of him, who now took a more relaxed stance.

"I assume there were some complications during the mission?" Hiruzen inquired.

"Not with the actual negotiations." Naruto clarified, allaying the most prominent concern of the elder man. "Kakashi is just jealous because he walked in on Mei-chan and I making out, and Sasuke had his ego bruised when he was lead into a trap by some of the remnant bloodline haters."

"Mei? As in the Godaime Mizukage?" The elder man stammered in shock. "How did this happen?"

"That's kind of a funny story." The blonde chuckled.

**Flashback no Jutsu**

_Reluctantly Kakashi ushered the rest of his team out, followed by Zabuza, though not before casting a warning glare to the blonde. Though it wasn't missed by the auburn haired woman that the girl identified as Sakura gave the blonde a small wink before exiting with the rest of the group. Closing the door behind them._

"_I take it there is something between you two?" Mei inquired, her eye brow raised in curiosity._

"_She's one of my girlfriends." Naruto replied honestly._

"_And yet you were openly flirting with me in front of her?" The Mizukage asked, her eye brow twitching._

"_There is a special circumstance involving me." He coyly replied with a smirk._

"_And what exactly would that be?"_

"_Well, you see." The blonde began as he leaned forward in his chair. "I am the last of not one, but two clans. The Uzumaki and the Namikaze, and as such I have placed myself into the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act which requires I take multiple wives to repopulate my clans."_

"_Wait, you're the son of the Yondaime Hokage?" Mei asked, surprised by the revelation._

"_That is correct." He answered with a sigh. "Though to be honest, I don't exactly see eye to eye with my old man. Short version, I discovered a few things about him that…. upset me, to put it mildly."_

"_I am sorry to hear that." Mei replied sympathetically._

"_Aside from my heritage, I also have a rare bloodline." He continued, not wanting to give too much away about his father._

"_I see." The auburn haired woman spoke, digesting what the young man before her had told her. Meanwhile, thinking the young blonde was little more then a pervert, thus not being her ideal husband she had desperately hoped for._

"_And before you assume anything, I didn't place myself into the CRA just to live out some perverted fantasy." Naruto continued, seeing the look the Mizukage was directing at him. "I did it for one girl and one girl only."  
_

"_Just one girl?" She cocked an eye brow skeptically. _

"_That is correct, unknown to me at the time, both her and myself were placed in an arranged marriage to each other."The blonde answered. "When I found out about it, I was already in a relationship with my Hebi-hime, and refused to abuse her trust in me. However, my Queen of Blades sat us both down and offered a solution. It was my Snake Mistress that agreed to the arrangement, though because our relationship was public knowledge, I couldn't be openly affectionate to my Swords Mistress."_

"_Not to mention, she was being harassed by another shinobi." He continued. "So, when I talked to the Hokage about my heritage and placed myself in the CRA, it was so that I could openly be with her, and make a statement to the stalker who had been harassing her. Needless to say, he did not take the news very well."_

_Mei could only chuckle at that, having had her own experiences with less desirable men, and even some women, not taking a simple 'no' as an answer._

"_So how many girls do you have then?"_

"_Well, there is my first mate, Anko-chan." He began._

"_First mate?" The auburn haired woman interrupted, find the use of the word 'mate' odd._

"_Yes, we refer to each other as mates." Naruto explained. "It feels more intimate and in a sense helps strengthen our bonds to each other."_

_Mei could only nod, though she did find it cute and endearing._

"_Now where was I, ah yes." He continued once more. "There is Anko-chan, my Hebi-hime. She is as deadly as she is beautiful and has an insatiable love for dango's and sake. Her dreams are to eventually take over as head of the Torture and Interrogation division in the village and see the death of her former sensei, now turned traitor."_

"_Then there is my Queen of Blades, Yugao-chan. ANBU Captain and a prodigy in kenjutsu, giving any of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist a run for their money. Her dream is to form her own team of skilled swordsmen to rival that of Kirigakure's own, as well as something more personal in nature."_

_One by one, he named off his current mates, their likes, dislikes and dreams for the futures. Though omitted any sensitive information that could be viewed as harmful to the village. As well as not mentioning the Kyubi herself, instead only referring to her name. Until he finally finished describing all seven of his girls._

_Meanwhile, the young Mizukage listened as the young blonde before her told her about his various 'mates', as he called them. Another nickname he called his girls that she found cute was the fact that he would refer to them as his princesses._

'_This changes everything.' She thought to herself with a small smile. 'He clearly cares for those with him and pays attention to their wants, desires, and dreams for the future. Maybe he is my ideal husband after all'_

_Reluctantly, she turned her attention back to the scroll in her hand and read over the terms of the alliance once more. As she did so, a small idea came to mind. With a grin, she looked up to the blonde before her._

"_The terms of the alliance are agreeable, though I would like to propose one addition." She stated, catching the young mans interest._

"_And what would that be, Mei-chan?"_

"_A marriage contract between members of our villages." She bluntly stated with a girn._

"_I see." Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, already having a feeling what she was going to propose. "And who do you have in mind for this marriage of alliance?"_

'_**You know she wants it to be you and her.'** Ahri chimed in with a giggle._

'_Well, I don't want to presume anything.' He mentally replied back to the kitsune girl._

'_**Sometimes you're too modest, Naruto-kun.' **She sighed with another soft giggle._

"_Well, I suppose it may be bold." Mei began, snapping the blonde out of his mental conversation with his tenant. "But I would propose you and myself."_

"_May I offer an addendum?" Naruto asked, receiving a nod from the woman, he continued. "Before we discuss the finer details of the union between us, I would like to offer this. In the event that the union between us does not work out, the alliance between the villages does not suffer."_

"_That sounds reasonable." The auburn haired woman replied, seeing the reasoning behind such an offer. Mainly because the marriage contract was mostly for her own benefit then the villages._

"_Now, on to the union between us; forgive me, I hate the term 'marriage contract'. It makes it sound like those involved are being forced into it." The blonde started. "But aside from that, I propose we take it slow and get to know each other better before moving on to anything serious._

"_That's very perceptive of you, Naruto-kun." Mei smiled as she got up from her seat and moved around the desk so that she was now standing in front of him. Smiling, she lowered herself to straddle his lap, while wrapping her arms around his neck. "Now, with business out of the way, let's get to know each other better, hmm?"_

_Naruto could only smirk as he wrapped his own arms around her waist, careful not to cross any lines just yet. As the beautiful woman leaned in, he closed the distance and allowed their lips to connect._

**Flashback no Jutsu Dispel**

"And that's about it." Naruto finished casually, though holding in a laugh at the gobsmacked face of the elder Hokage.

"I see." Hiruzen cleared his throat. "I guess that explains the marriage request. Is there anything else you would like to add to your report, Naruto-kun?"

"Well, Mei-chan does plan on coming for the Chuunin Exams in a few months."

"I wish she could have chosen a better time, I am already going to be swamped with other responsibilities that will demand my attention." Hiruzen frowned. "Though I suppose I could squeeze some free time to meet with her."

"Sorry to burst your bubble Ji-ji." Naruto chuckled. "But she isn't coming to talk to you. She is coming to see me, as my potential fiance and she has expressed an interest to meet the other girls, not to mention I owe her a date since our stay in Kirigakure was short."

The elder Hokage could only chuckle at this.

"I see Naruto-kun, if that is all, you are dismissed." Hiruzen stated. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

Giving a short bow, the blonde hanyou left the office. Intending on spending time with the rest of his girls, since Sakura had monopolized her time alone with him on the trip, much to the dismay and frustration of Kakashi and Sasuke.

* * *

**With Sakura, Training Ground 7**

Having left the Hokage Tower, the pink haired hanyou quickly made her way to Training Ground 7, intending on training a bit before she relaxed for the evening hours. Arriving at the training ground, she created a dozen Shadow Clones and set them to work on various chakra control exercises to begin with while she started on a set of physical exercises. Though she did take a page from Naruto's book and had four of her clones practice throwing kunai and shurikan.

'_Why does it feel like we are being watched?'_ The pinkette mentally asked herself as she paused her session, narrowing her eyes slightly.

'_**Because we are.'**_ Inner stated with a scowl. _**'**__**Just behind us, to the left. Two signatures.'**_

'_Figures, Taida-sensei and his boy toy.'_ Sakura scoffed, clearly not happy of the two spying on her as it interrupted her training. Originally, she was going to start her clones sparing one another in the Kitsune and Hebi style, but with two Sharingan users watching her, she didn't want to risk either of them stealing her styles.

"You know, it's considered rude to spy on your own team mate." Sakura spoke out loud, catching the two off guard, wondering how she knew they were there.

Knowing that they were busted, both Kakashi and Sasuke emerged from the treeline they had been hiding in and approached the pink haired kunoichi.

"So, is there a reason you were spying on me?" She asked as she turned to face the two.

"We were just curious." The masked man tried to down play it, not wanting to reveal that he was suspicious of her sudden show of strength and combat prowess.

"I see." She narrowed her eyes, not believing anything he said. "We both know you never gave a shit about my training, so what's the real reason you are here?"

'_I swear to Jashin, if this is another one of his attempts to get me alone with that Uchiha bastard, I am going to shove his head up the Uchiha's ass!'_ Sakura mentally ranted, earning an approving nod from her Inner self.

"To be honest, we've been worried about you." Kakashi sighed, though partly relieved that he didn't have to reveal his suspicions, at least in full. "I've noticed that since you've started your relationship with Uzumaki, that you have been acting odd."

"Odd?" She questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well, it's just that lately you've been acting more delinquent." The silver haired man began. "You've shown blatant disrespect to those around you. Not to mention, you've displayed no trust in anyone except Naruto, which is concerning as we are suppose to be a team. Furthermore, your physical changes. You've dyed your hair to make it look like Naruto's, and that weird tattoo you have at the base of your neck."

Sakura had to resist the urge to reach up to her mates mark when Kakashi mentioned it. Though she was thankful that he merely thought it was a tattoo. However, she was not embarrassed by it in the slightest. On the contrary, she was proud to bear his mark.

"First off, the only ones I am even remotely disrespectful to, is you and Sasuke." She countered after composing herself. "Secondly, you're right, I don't trust either of you. I don't trust you, because you are a failure of a sensei so much so, that Naruto-kun has had to pick up your slack to make sure I was getting the proper training I needed. And I don't trust the Uchiha for the simple fact that the bastard nearly got me killed because of his own cowardice."

"Sakura, that was clearly….."

"It wasn't an accident and you fucking know it!" Sakura snapped at the man. "And lastly, what I do to my body is my own business."

"What about Naruto engaging in relationships with other women?" Kakashi asked, not fully understanding how both her and Anko were completely okay with him flirting and seeing other women behind their back.

"And? What about it?" She shrugged.

"It doesn't bother you at all that he doesn't respect you or Anko enough to not flirt with other women?" The silver haired jonin ventured. "Look, if Naruto is threatening you to stay with him while he lives out some perverted fantasy…."

Kakashi didn't get a chance to finish as Sakura started laughing out loud, which caught the two sharingan users off guard.

"Really?" She laughed. "This is what you come up with, trying to make Naruto-kun look like some tyrannical slave owner that forces himself onto women? Real rich coming from a pervert who reads porn in public. Perhaps that's your fantasy, eh Taida-sensei?"

"Then what is it then?" Sasuke finally spoke up, putting up his usual Uchiha arrogance. "What does that dobe have that I don't?"

"Aside from a personality and compassion?" Sakura shot back, causing the Uchiha to scowl.

"Tell us the truth Sakura." Kakashi interrupted in an irritated tone, a little embarrassed of her calling him out on being a pervert. "What is the reason you don't care if Naruto is with other women?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the masked jonin. She could see that he was not going to let it go until he got an answer he was satisfied with. Sure, she could just melt into the shadows and avoid this confrontation for the moment, but she knew that would only cause more problems for her, and Naruto later on.

"Not that it's any of your business, but if you must absolutely know, Naruto-kun is the last of his clan." The pinkette replied. "I am sure Sasuke knows what that means."

"That loser isn't part of any clan." The Uchiha exclaimed in denial. "Probably just another lie like that sob story he told everyone in Nami no Kuni."

"No, the Uzumaki's were a clan." Kakashi sighed as he remembered bits and pieces of the forgotten clan that was far more instrumental in establishing Konohagakure then given credit for. Namely due to the academy removing a lot of material involving the clans storied history. "And like yours, they were wiped out with only few survivors."

"Unlike your clan however, it took the combined might of three Hidden Villages to destroy them." Sakura smirked, unable to resist bruising the Uchiha's ego further. "And even then, the three villages suffered massive losses."

"So the dobe is in the CRA then." Sasuke scoffed through gritted teeth, though after he said it, realization hit him. "That ice bitch is with him, isn't she."

It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yup, they started dating a few months ago." The pinkette answered honestly, seeing no reason to lie.

"So who all is with Naruto then?" Kakashi asked, trying to get even more information. He already knew of Anko, Sakura, and now Haku. No doubt Tsunami from Nami no Kuni as well.

"None of your business." Sakura replied, crossing her arms earning a frown from the masked jonin. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I am going to spend some time with my mate."

'_There's that word again, mate.'_ Kakashi thought to himself as he watched the pinkette leave the training ground. As she did so, various popping sounds could be heard as the Shadow Clones began to dispel themselves. _'First Anko called Naruto that, and now Sakura. What's going on?'_

Meanwhile, Sasuke was seething in anger for the simple fact that once again, the blonde dobe had gotten in the way of his revenge against the ice bitch. Though now that he thought about it, he now realized what the Elder was talking about when he said the CRA had been tainted recently. It was because Naruto was in it.

Still, the Uchiha merely scoffed at the program. If it allowed weak fools like the dobe, then it was not worthy of being used to restore his great clan.

* * *

**Naruto, Outside the Hokage's Tower**

Having finished giving his report to the Hokage, the young blonde started to make his way to his favorite ramen stand. One, because he was hungry and it's been just over a week since he had his ramen; and two, because he wanted to catch up with Ayame, as she had not moved in with him just yet. Though she had entertained the idea, but had stated that she wasn't ready to move on to that level yet in the relationship. Which Naruto understood.

"I told you Asuma." A woman's voice rang out, breaking the blonde out of his musings. "We are over and I don't want anything to do with you."

Looking in the direction the voice came from, Naruto could see a bearded man with a cigarette in his mouth standing before the red eyed woman, whom was not looking too pleased at the man before her.

'_That's Anko-chan's friend, almost sister really. Kurenai Yuhi.'_ Naruto thought, as her recognized the woman. While he had never personally met her, Anko would occasionally talk up a storm about the ruby eyed Genjutsu Mistress. Turning on his heel, he began to approach the two.

"You are over reacting about this whole thing." The man defended arrogantly. "Now come on, I'll take you out to a nice lunch and then we can go back to your apartment and soothe this whole thing over."

"I said no, now leave me alone." Kurenai stated with finality and turned to leave, only for Asuma to roughly grab her wrist.

"Look," The man stated. "I have been polite and patient with you while you threw your tantrum over nothing. Now I am done being nice. You will come with me and give me what I deserve."

While she didn't show it, Kurenai was actually frightened of what Asuma had said and was no doubt implying what he intended to do. That he was going to take her by force if required, and that is what truly frightened her about the man. She knew if it got physical, she would lose to due her specializing in Genjutsu, where as Asuma replied mostly on his physical strength and some ninjutsu's.

"Is there a problem here?" Naruto asked as he approached the two, earning a glare from the bearded man.

"None of your business brat, the adults are talking." Asuma barked, not taking his eyes off Kurenai. "Now get out of here."

Naruto only shook his head, showing that he was not going to leave. Which only agitated the bearded jonin further.

"No, I don't think so." The blonde stated. "And I do believe she told you to leave her alone."

By now, the blonde hanyou had moved in between the two jonin's. Gently placing his hand on Kurenai's arm and gently pulling it out of Asuma's grasp, all the while guiding her to stay behind him to keep her out of harms way in case the smoking jonin attempted anything.

"Now, I won't tell you again." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man before him. "Leave."

"Do you have any idea who I am brat?" Asuma seethed.

"Yeah, you're a sexist, chauvinist pig." The blonde shot back, not the least bit intimidated by the bearded man. "And don't try and pull your fathers title bullshit on me, we both know I have a fair better relationship with the old man then you do."

Asuma could only glare at the young blonde before him before turning his gaze back to the ruby eyed woman that was standing behind Naruto.

"This isn't over." The man stated before turning and leaving. Ignoring the odd looks and glares he was receiving from bystanders.

Once Asuma was out of sight, Naruto turned to Kurenai.

"Are you alright?" He inquired.

"I am fine, thank you." The ruby eyed woman answered. "I was just about to get something to eat when he stopped me."

"I see." The blonde smiled. "Please allow me to accompany you to your destination."

Nodding with a slight blush on her cheeks, the two of them made their way through the village with Naruto starting up light conversation as they continued on their way. For her part, Kurenai was impressed with the young mans maturity. Not once during their walk had he commented on her looks or body, instead talking of things she was interested in. Namely Genjutsu. Though, during their conversation, he could tell something was bothering the ruby eyed woman.

After nearly fifteen minutes of walking, the two stopped in front of the BBQ Restaurant, that was just down the street from his favorite ramen stand. He had hoped for ramen, but at the same time he didn't want to chance leaving Kurenai alone in case Asuma attempted something else, and from her posture, he could tell she didn't really want him to leave either. So, he took a seat in the chair next to her, and placed his own order.

"So if you don't mind me asking, what's bothering you, Kurenai-san?" Naruto inquired after a handful of seconds in silence.

"Just having some issues with one of my students I help train on the side." She answered with a frown. "She had such big dreams of claiming my title of being Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress, and now she won't even talk to me. Every time I tried to approach her ended in her verbally lashing out at me, I'm not sure what happened."

"How long as this been going on?"

"About three months now." Kurenai sighed. "She claims I abandoned her."

"That was about the time your team had their first C-rank mission outside the village." Naruto pointed out.

"I know I wasn't able to tell her about being out of the village, but we weren't gone that long to make it seemed like I abandoned her."

However, Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought. Something about this entire scenario didn't add up.

"Who is your student?"

"Yakumo Kurama." The ruby eyed woman sighed. "Current Heiress of the Kurama clan."

'_**Kurama clan, they're a very prominent clan within the village.'**_ Ahri chimed in. _**'Also, every few generations, a member of the clan can develop extremely powerful genjutsu abilities, making them extremely life like and very dangerous to friends and foes.'**_

'_And if this Yakumo has developed that kind of power….'_ Naruto speculated. _'I have a feeling I know what is going on. We better got check on her.'_

'_**I agree, something about this just screams the name Danzo and his Root.' **_

"Kurenai-san, where does Yakumo live?" He asked, catching the genjutsu mistress off guard by the question.

"Just south, outside the village." She answered, a little confused as to why he was asking.

"I am going to go talk to her and see if I can't find out what is going on." He answered her unasked question. "Besides, something about this seems off. I'll let you know what I find out, good or bad."

As he stands up, he allows his shadow to detach itself from him and form into a Dark Clone, much to the ruby eyed woman's surprise.

"This is my **Dākukurōn (Dark Clone)**, a technique from my bloodline. I'll give you the details about it later, just know that it is on another level from your typical Shadow Clone." He explained. "I'll be back soon."

Receiving a nod from the black haired beauty, whom was still in shock due to the abilities the young blonde had displayed, Naruto left the restaurant and made his way to the Kurama compound. Quickly taking to the roofs to speed up his trip as fast as possible.

'_So what all do we know about Yakumo?'_ Naruto mentally asked as he bounded across the roof tops.

'_**What am I? A database?'**_ Ahri huffed, though still began to sift through her hosts memories for anything pertaining to the young girl.

'_Well, you have been sneaking out to search the villages archives for information on that bastard that forced you to attack the village__.'_ He replied with a small chuckle. _'Surely you came across other information as well, right?'_

'_**Anyways, Yakumo Kurama.'**_ The kitsune girl began with a slight blush in embarrassment, reading from a file within the young teens mind. _**'Both of her parents are dead, killed two years ago in some fire within their home. Though it is suspected that the fire was caused by Yakumo's power. As a result, the rest of her clan has isolated her away from everyone else.'**_

'_So in other words, we when meet her, we should avoid this topic as it may still be a sore subject for her.'_

'_**Agreed.'**_

'_Anything else?'_

'_**Other then what we were told from Kurenai-san, nothing.'**_ Ahri replied. _**'Though from the sounds of it, she does have that powerful genjutsu ability.'**_

'_And who do we know that is obsessed with power and is not above doing shady things.'_

'_**Two immediately come to mind. The Uchiha bastard and….'**_

'_Danzo.'_ Naruto finished for her, narrowing his eyes. His hunch from before becoming stronger.

A few minutes later found him just outside of a small quaint shack that left a lot to be desired in terms of comfort. Taking a cautious look around, he noted that what the small shack lacked in aesthetic comfort, it made up for in open space. Off to the side of the building was a small garden with various vegetables and flowers, well taken care of. Meanwhile on the other side was a small gazebo with an easel in the center. An unfinished painting resting on the stand.

Sensing no immediate danger, Naruto made his way to the front door and firmly knocked on it, followed by an awkward silence until the door cracked open, giving him a small glimpse of a young girl no older then himself with light brown hair, accompanied with light brown eyes filled with pain and betrayal.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"Forgive me, my name is Naruto Uzumaki." The blonde introduced himself. "You are Yakumo Kurama, correct?"

"Let me guess, that bitch sent you."

Naruto frowned in response. He could see that what ever had happened had affected her greatly.

"She is worried about you." He replied, receiving a scoff in response.

"So first she comes with her ANBU body guards and tells me that I am wasting my time training to become a kunoichi and that I should find a different path, and now she is pretending that it never happened?"

"When did this happen?"

"Three months ago." Yakumo stated with a huff.

"And you said she had ANBU with her?" He asked. "Can you describe what they looked like, their masks?"

"Their masks were blank, why?" The young girl answered, not understanding what the blonde in front of her was getting at.

"And you said she came three months ago." He clarified.

"Yes, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything." He simply responded, causing her to look at him in confusion. "Because Kurenai-san was not in the village three months ago. She was out of the village on her teams first C-rank mission."

"What do you mean she was out of the village!?" Yakumo exclaimed in fury, throwing the door open to fully confront the blonde teen. "She was right here in front of me with those damned ANBU and put that fucking seal on the back of my neck to seal off my powers!"

At this revelation, Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked at the browned haired girl.

"They put a seal on you?" He asked, turning to face her completely. "Let me see it."

Yakumo was hesitant for a moment, before turning her head and lifting her hair to expose the seal that was placed on the back of her neck. Upon seeing what the seal was, Naruto was infuriated.

"Yakumo-san, that was not Kurenai-san that came to you three months ago." He began, pushing down the anger inside of him. "That was an impostor, no doubt a ROOT member that is only loyal to Danzo that used a henge to look like Kurenai-san. And the seal they put on you doesn't just seal off your power. It's the start of a loyalty seal, combined with an enslavement seal. I suspect you were told they would come back at a later date to check on you."

Hearing this, Yakumo's eyes widened in fear, while she wanted to deny that the blonde teen was telling the truth, deep down she know it was fact. She then realized that she had lashed out at Kurenai for no reason, completely blaming her for everything. Realizing this, tears began to flow down her face as she sunk to her knees.

"She must hate me now." She sobbed, as Naruto knelt down beside her. Wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug as she cried into his shoulder.

"No, she doesn't." He reassured her. "She is concerned for you."

"I have to get this seal off of me." She said in between sobs. The thought of being blindly loyal to someone and enslaved to them greatly frightened her.

"Don't worry, I'll get that seal off of you. Okay, Yakumo-chan?" Naruto stated, giving her a warm smile. Though he didn't miss the blush that crept up on her cheeks at the -chan suffix he added to her name.

"They said they would be back at the end of the month to finish the seal." She informed him.

"Then I think it would be best if you were no longer staying here." Naruto suggested.

"But where will I go?" Yakumo asked. "Ever since my parents died, the rest of my clan has turned their backs on me, and my uncle has even gone as far as to petition for my execution."

"You'll come stay with me at my compound." He simply stated. "After you get settled in, I'll take care of that seal for you."

Nodding, the brown haired girl got up and wiped away the tears that were still in her eyes and set off the pack what she felt was absolutely required. Which included a few keepsakes she had from her parents, her painting supplies, clothing, and what she had of her clans jutsu's. Once done, she left the house and joined the blonde teen who had been patiently waiting for her to pack.

"Ready, Yakumo-chan?" He asked as he offered her his hand.

"I am, Naruto-kun." She smiled and took his hand.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

It had been just under three hours since Naruto had arrived back home with Yakumo. Quickly introducing the young girl to his other room mates and fiances, which of course prompted a quick explanation of his place in the Clan Restoration Act, and that there were three other girls he would introduce to her later. After introductions, Sakura and Haku had helped the rising genjutsu mistress settling into a room, and giving her a quick tour around the compound grounds.

Shortly after that, Naruto had delivered on his promise and set to work removing the seal that had been placed on her. Though he mentally scoffed at the design of the seal, finding it an insult to the art of fuinjutsu. It only took a matter of moments to completely destroy the seal, effectively freeing the young Kurama heiress of the bleak future she was once destined for. Though he was forced to leave the power suppression seal on for the moment, as it had created another problem entirely within the girls psyche.

After everything was done, Naruto had left the young girl in the company of his fiances and departed to find Kurenai and give her an update of what he had discovered, just as he told her he would. It didn't take long to find her, as she and his Dark Clone were now at the dango stand, engaged in a jovial conversation.

"I'm back." He announced, as the dark clone melted back into his shadow.

"What happened, is she okay?" The ruby eyed woman quickly fired off, prompting the blonde hanyou to hold his hands up to signal her to calm down.

"She is fine and safe." He reassured her.

"So what happened, were you actually able to talk to her?"

"I did." He replied. "Turns out, someone came to her henged as you to make her hate you, to isolate her further then she already was, and had a seal placed upon her to lock away her powers. This seal also had two alternative functions. A loyalty seal, and an enslavement seal. Someone wanted to make her power their own."

"What!?" Kurenai exclaimed, now even more panicked tone. "Do you know who?"

"Kurenai-san, relax and calm down." Naruto gently stated, embracing her hands with his own to further calm her. "I've already said that she is safe. I was able to take the seal off of her. And tomorrow I will be helping her with another problem the seal created. As for who did it, I have my suspicions, as I have had run ins with people loyal to him before, though I can't say here. Too many ears."

Kurenai only nodded in understand as she moved to get off the stool and leave the stand before she was stopped by Naruto.

"Where are you going, Kurenai-san?" He asked, though he already knew where she intended to go.

"I need to go talk to her, to tell her I am sorry for everything that had happened." The ruby eyed woman stated as she moved to leave the stand again.

"Then you're going the wrong way."

"But she lives-"

"She doesn't live there anymore." Naruto chuckled as he walked past her. "She is staying at my compound now."

Not seeing if she was following, Naruto continued walking. Meanwhile, Kurenai could only watch his retreating back in shock and a little bit of confusion., his long black trench coat gently rolling in the breeze he created as he made his way down the street towards his home. It was then that she realized something that caused her to blush.

'_My Kami, I'm starting to fall for him.'_ She thought as she shook her head and ran off to catch up to him. This was the first time she had actually interacted with the young teen on any level, and she was already falling for him. In a short amount of time, he had defended her honor and even helped out her wayward student, and hasn't asked for anything in return.

'_Maybe Anko was right.'_ She smiled to herself.

* * *

**Omake, The Great Destroyer**

Sasuke was not in the best of moods as he walked down one of the many streets of Kiri.

Not only had he been humiliated once again by walking into the trap set up by blood line haters and being jumped after they had sealed off his chakra, but Sakura of all people had been the one to rescue him. Even further, when they had returned to the Mizukage tower, they had walked in on Naruto and the Mizukage making out. Which only served to infuriate the Uchiha further.

'_That auburn haired slut should be __with me, not that loser.'_ He seethed.

As the Uchiha continued to brood, something to his right caught his eye. Looking to his right, he saw a nice looking weapon that looked more for clubbing someone to death then actually cutting. Though what caught the raven haired emos attention was the sign in front of it.

It read. "The Great Destroyer, maximum penetrating power!"

An evil glint shined in the Uchiha's eye as he thought of what he could do to his enemies with such a weapon. Without a second thought, Sasuke entered the store and demanded to purchase the weapon he saw, ignoring the strange look he received. However the shop owned didn't argue, nor did the man asked any questions as he retrieved the product in question and rung it up for him.

"Would you like to purchase a bottle of warming oil?" The shop keeper asked.

"What purpose would the oil serve?" Sasuke inquired.

"To keep your weapon polished." Was the simple answer.

"Fine, I'll take a bottle."

Nodding, the products were rung up. Without hesitation, the last Uchiha bought the items and left the shop to go rejoin his joke of a team. It didn't take long for him to meet back up with the others, though as he approached, he could see both Naruto and Sakura trying desperately not to laugh. Meanwhile Kakashi was dumbstruck at what he was witnessing.

"Um, Sasuke." Kakashi spoke up. "What is that?"

"It's my new weapon that I will use on Itachi and anyone else who gets between me and him. Man or woman." The Uchiha proudly exclaimed. This of course was the tipping point for both Naruto and Sakura, as the two burst out laughing.

"Wow, I know I joked about it, but I didn't really think you were into that." Naruto breathed out, in between laughs. Meanwhile, Sakura was already on the ground holding her stomach as she continued to laugh.

Not even Kakashi could say anything, as he had his hand over where his mouth would be on his mask, and was struggling and failing holding in his own laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" The Uchiha seethed. "This is a mighty weapon, that only a Uchiha is worthy to receive."

Despite the emos prideful boast, it didn't calm the trio down as more laughter erupted between them,, causing the sole Uchiha to fume more. Full of anger, Sasuke pushed past the trio and began to walk out the gate, seething even further as the two gate guards began to snicker and point at him.

"So, should we tell him?" Naruto asked as he finally caught his breath as he watched Sasuke walk down the path with the massive weapon on his back, to be proudly shown off to the world.

"Nah, let's see how long it takes him to figure it out." Kakashi spoke up, surprising the two.

"And what if he never realizes he just bought a massive sex toy instead of an actual weapon?" Sakura inquired with a snigger.

"The he will be forever known as the Ultimate Dildo Warrior." Naruto shrugged, earning another round of laughter from the other two. "Though I suggest we hang back a comfortable distance."

"Agreed." Sakura stated, as Kakashi nodded, giving his own agreement.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap!

We got to see the conversation Mei had with Naruto which of course lead to her making out with our young hanyou. Not to mention, both Kakashi and Sasuke now know about Naruto being in the CRA, which should be fun when he learns just who is with Naruto. Meanwhile, I decided it would be good that Kakashi noticed some of the more subtle details about Sakura's change, namely her "tattoo".

Lastly, Yakumo is officially introduced into the story, as well as Kurenai having her first interaction with Naruto. Now to be clear, Yakumo is not dating Naruto yet, nor is Kurenai. Both of these will take time to build, though Danzo is going to be upset that Naruto has ruined yet another plan for him.

Now, this chapter's Omake scene was suggested by _**CrimsonStarBlade**_, and I thought it was too hilarious not to add it at the end of the chapter. So I hope everyone got a good laugh at this Omake.

Side note, the next chapter may be delayed because I need to sit down and watch some of the Naruto movies, as I want the next chapter to start the Land of Snow mission for Team 7.

As always, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. So feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message.


	20. Chapter 20

**Authors Notes:** Alright, so I was mistaken, there will be ONE more chapter before the Land of Snow/Spring mission, and here it is! I will admit, this chapter is mostly filler and fluff, so it may be shorter then my usual chapters. Being used to set up immediate and distant future events as well as build up some character relations between Naruto, Yakumo, and maybe Kurenai.

**Voting Poll Update: **Due to an incomplete list, the votes have been reset as of the posting of this chapter. To apologize, the voting limit is 3 votes per person.

Now, there are a lot of requests to make Sasuke: The Dildo Avenger officially part of the story. Unfortunately, it has to stay in the Omake universe. However, if any of you wanna take the concept and write a spin off crack fic, feel free to do so. Only thing I ask is that you credit the original person for the idea, that person being _**CrimsonStarBlade**_.

**Review Corner**

_**Anthonym3**_ – Yup, when I read your review, I just had to be a smart ass and include the kitchen sink. Of course now I am getting requests to do a chapter with the kitchen sink, so go figure. As for Sasuke The Dildo Avenger, he will pop up in future Omake's.

_**CrimsonStarBlade**_ – This is a good idea for a future Omake, to have Sasuke confront Itachi with his new weapon. As for Queen Sara, do you have any suggestions for how Naruto and her could meet? I am not familiar with the game she is from, mainly since the last Naruto game I played was Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, so I am a bit behind in that aspect, lol.

_**Nani Daguq**_ – Sorry about that. Rest assured, there will be more adventures of Sasuke The Dildo Avenger.

_**YeagerMeister31**_ – Sadly, Naruto isn't even trying to get their attention. He just wants to help people. Of course unlike your typical anime protagonist, he is not oblivious to their attraction towards him.

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hanabi, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

So there has been a few requests to add Fubuki to the harem list, since that arc is coming up after this chapter, I need ideas of how that could play out. So feel free to send me a private message with suggestions.

Now, with that being said, on with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 20

**Unknown Location**

Threads of light filtered into the old darkened storage room through the cracks in the boards that blocked out the windows, preventing those outside from seeing inside the darkened room. Off to the side, a large man with white haired leaned up against the wall. Waiting. The man seemed anxious, almost giddy with anticipation.

He didn't have to wait long as another figure entered the room, whispering for his attention.

"Did you get it?" The large man inquired as he turned to greet the new arrival.

"Yes." The other, smaller man answered, offering a rolled up scroll that still had the wax seal on it, proving it hadn't been tampered with.

Without a word, the larger man took the scroll and broke the seal, unrolling it to read it's contents, which read as follows.

_N.U. Kitsune,_

_We humbly ask for your expressed permission to use your intellectual property,, as the studio is eager to do a movie based off a popular book series, and yours is at the top of the list. It is with great excitement that we contact you with this offer to film a movie based off of your wonderful book series, Demon Heart. You should know that the lead actress herself, Yukie Fujikaze, is an avid fan of your stories and is eagerly looking forward in staring in the film._

_Please contact us at your earliest convenience so that we may negotiate a fair deal for all involved._

_With regards,_

_Sandayu Asama_

"So their studio is looking to make a movie based off a popular book series." The larger man grinned. "I'll give them just the book series that would make the perfect movie."

"If you say so, I don't really care." The smaller man commented with a shrug, not really caring about the movie industry in the slightest. He just wanted to get paid and go on about his day.

"Ha! You say that now, but with the stipulations I will be adding to my contract, you will soon see the true meaning of art, and a body like Princess Koyuki's, is truly be artistic." The larger man replied with a lecherous grin.

"What ever." The other man shrugged again. "My pay?"

"Pfft, you have no respect for art." The larger man commented before tossing the smaller individual a small sack filled with coin. "Here."

In a quick motion, the smaller of the two caught the sack and proceeded to open it and count how much money was in it, a scowl coming across his face as he saw it was far less then he was expecting.

"Hey, this isn't the amount we agreed upon!" He exclaimed in anger.

"I paid you what the mission was worth." The white haired man stated matter of factually. "It's not like you had to go behind enemy lines or anything. No all you had to do was intercept a single letter."

The smaller man only scoffed and left the room, knowing there was no arguing with the larger man. The larger man stayed silent as he watched the other left, smirking to himself before turning his attention back to the scroll in his hand.

"Sorry Kitsune, you already have too much success." He smirked. "Now it's time for Icha Icha to reclaim it's throne, and a movie starring none other then the lost Princess of Yuki no Kuni is just the thing to ensure my books get put back on top where they belong."

* * *

**Konoha, The Next Morning**

It was quiet in the Uzumaki compound. Mostly because the only ones still within the property was Naruto and Yakumo, as the others had left to go about their days, as all of them had the day off. Sakura had left earlier to keep up appearances with her mother, whilst Anko and Haku had accompanied Yugao to run some errands around the village.

While everyone else was out of the compound, Naruto had taken the opportunity to address the issue that the power seal on Yakumo had created. An entity that called itself Ido. A manifestation of all of the girls negative emotions and thoughts. From what the young blonde could determine was that Ido had always been present within her mind, though was set free when the seal was placed on her. Still, it was something that needed to be addressed immediately.

Which was why he was now in one of the training grounds. Seals scatted all over the ground, save one large circle in the center of it all. The seals purpose was to link those who were inside the circle minds together in a safe manner, as well as contain any power that could potentially leak out and cause damage.

"Are you ready, Yakumo-chan?" Naruto asked as he knelt down in the large circle.

"Y-yes." The girl hesitated, clearly afraid of what was about to happen. Regardless, she too knelt down in the circle as well, just across from where Naruto was. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Don't worry." He replied, giving her a reassuring smile before bending over, he channeled his chakra into the seals. In an instant, a blinding white light erupted around the two, prompting them to cover their eyes.

**Yakumo's Mindscape**

When the two opened their eyes, the first thing they noticed was that they were not in the training ground anymore. Instead, they were in what appeared to be a nightmarish hell scape. Barren rock cropping and ruined buildings littered the horizon as the sky above was filled with black clouds with red lightening striking at random. In truth, the entire scene frightened Yakumo.

'_Is this really my mind?'_ She thought fearfully as she took in the environment around her. However, she was broken out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning she saw Naruto standing beside her.

"It's only like this because you have an alternative personality fighting for control." He explained. "Just remember. This is your mind, you're the one in control. No matter what this Ido says. Nothing can happen unless you want it to happen."

Encouraged by the blonde at her side, Yakumo nodded her head and steeled her resolve as the two of them set off towards a large broken tower like structure. No doubt where Ido was residing. It didn't take long for the two to arrive at their destination. Stepping into the center of the broken tower, they were greeted by the sight of an individual that looked similar to Yakumo, with the exception of horns that protruded outwards, and elongated fangs coming from mouth. It's skin a darkened grayish brown, with an almost animalistic cat-like face, and eyes..

"**So, my weak pathetic shell finally comes to me."** The demonic entity growls out.

"You must be Ido." Naruto commented as they approached the figure, unaffected by it's appearance.

"**How cute, she brought a friend."** It sneered. **"Too bad you have only came to your death."**

"I don't think so." The blonde stated casually. "You see, this is Yakumo-chan's domain. Not yours. You are merely a false queen in this mindscape."

Taking this as her cue, Yakumo stepped forward. A steeled look of determination in her eyes. All the while repeating what Naruto had told her. That despite Ido's intimidating appearance, the demon could do nothing to her or Naruto without her consent.

"You have plagued me for the past three months." She stated. "Filling my mind with thoughts of destroying the village, torturing Kurenai-san to death, and setting the world on fire. No more!"

"**Foolish girl! ****Those were your own thoughts and desires!****"** Ido exclaimed, lashing out with a wave of power, which sent debris and large tendrils of dark energy towards the two.

However, before the attack could hit, the tendrils smashed into an invisible wall as the various debris of masonry shattered upon colliding with the invisible force as Yakumo stood there, mildly flinching at the closeness of the attack. Naruto on the other hand, didn't even bat an eye. Seeing that Ido's attack couldn't touch her, the young girl was filled with more confidence as she brought up her right arm and swing it to the side in a sweeping motion, sending out her own wave of power that obliterated the dark tendrils and kicking up it's own dust and debris.

"You have no power here!" Yakumo stated with finality. "This is my domain!"

As she stated this, she began to stalk forward towards the demonic like entity. All the while, her power keeping the tendrils that Ido kept sending towards her at bay as they were destroyed upon impact of the powerful barrier Yakumo kept around her. Gradually, the young girl drew closer the Ido, causing the entity to begin to panic as it's powers were having no effect on the girl or the blonde that had accompanied her. As Yakumo drew closer, Ido began to panic further.

"**STAY AWAY!"** Ido cried out as she started throwing more attacks at the girl in desperation, though as expected, none got even close to her. **"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"**

"You're right." Yakumo finally spoke once she got within arms length of the demonic looking entity, using her power to hold Ido in place. "I did have those thoughts. I wanted to see the village burn. I wanted to see Kurenai-sensei suffer for what she did to me. I wanted everyone who had wronged me to pay. But I was wrong."

"**So what now?"** Ido asked, resigning herself to her fate, since she couldn't escape from her captor. **"Will you banish me from your mind? Lock me away, or just snuff out my existence?"**

"No." The brown haired girl replied to the surprise of Ido. "You were created by my own negative emotions and thoughts. You were able to grow and nurish due to the seal that was put on me to suppress my power. However, despite how you created, you are sill part of who I am."

It was then that Yakumo did something that neither Naruto nor Ido had expected. She brought the entity into a hug. Upon doing so, a bright light flashed, temporarily blinding the blonde from seeing what was happening. As the light faded, the brownish skin began to shed away from Ido, revealing a more fair complexion underneath it. The horns that adorned her head becoming smaller, before twisting and changing into a more elegant looking set, looking almost like the horns of a ram. Her fangs also becoming smaller, almost to the point that they only barely protruded from under her upper lip. Her eyes, while still keeping their cat like appearance, had changed color. What was once yellow filled with malice, was now a pinkish color.

As this happens, Ido's eyes widened in shock of what had just happened. Feeling as if all the darkness that had clouded her mind had been cleared. This was further reflected as the enviornment around them began to shift and change. Buildings that were once crumbling repaired themselves, as the darkened sky cleared, to allow rays of sunshine to wash over the newly repaired city. Leaving the three of them standing in the center of a beautiful park.

"**I'm sorry." **Ido cried, allowing her head to drop onto Yakumo's shoulder, to which the brunette stroked the girls hair to comfort her.

"No, I am sorry." Yakumo smiled. "I thrust all of my negative emotions upon you unfairly."

Meanwhile, Naruto merely smiled as everything unfolded. He was honestly surprised at Yakumo's approach in how to handle Ido, how she had accepted that Ido was part of her, despite what the being had represented. He knew that had Yakumo try to fight it, Ido would have only become stronger and increase it's chance of completely taking control.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." Yakumo stated, breaking the blonde out of his musings. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"How did I help?" He asked, a little confused. Sure, he may have set up the seals to allow them both in her mindscape so that they could confront Ido, but aside from that he did nothing.

"With your words and belief in me." She smiled, while still stroking the hair of the still sobbing Ido. "At first, I fully intended to fight with everything I had. But when you told me that she couldn't do anything as long as I didn't allow it, it made me realize that she was born because of me."

"So instead of fighting her, you decided to embrace that she is a part of you." Naruto surmised with smile. Approving of her resolve.

Yakumo merely nodded with a smile.

"Of course." She replied. "As one, we can move forward towards our dream to be the most renowned Genjutsu Mistress in not just Konoha, but all of the Elemental Nations."

At this, Ido nodded in agreement.

"**Together."** She said.

**Real World**

Slowly the two opened the eyes, the glow that the seals had once given off when activated had died down. Looking around, Yakumo could see that it had only been roughly half an hour, though it had felt like an entire day. Naruto seemed to catch on to her confusion and chuckled.

"Time flows different within our minds." He commented. "How do you feel?"

"I feel whole and…." She paused, scrunching her nose slightly. One thing that she noticed right away was that she felt physically stronger. Stronger then she had been three months ago. "Stronger. Like I was missing something that just I just got back."

"That's good." Naruto smiled as he moved to stand from his kneeling position, only to be tackled in a hug from the brunette. Tears streaming down her face as she muttered 'Thank yous' over and over again. Smiling, the blonde rubbed the girls back as he was forced to sit back down while she cried into his chest.

Another half hour passed as the two sat there, Yakumo having finally calmed down from her emotional state and had fallen asleep in the blondes arms. Seeing this, Naruto softly chuckled to himself and carefully stood up, adjusting the brunette into a bridal position and proceeded to take her to her room. Mentally noting that he was going to need to talk to the old man about expanding his home, especially at the rate he's been getting roommates.

Laying her down on her bed, Naruto smiled and leaned in and kissed her forehead, causing Yakumo to smile softly in her sleep.

"Get some rest." Naruto said as he turned to leave the room. "I am sure Kurenai-san will be coming by to visit later today."

As he left, Yakumo cracked open her eyes and smiled once more.

'_**You know, he is cute. You should see about dating him.'**_ Ido commented from within her mind, prompting Yakumo to widen her eyes in surprise as a blush crept across her face.

* * *

**Hokage Tower, 30 Minutes Later**

With Ido now dealt with, in a rather peaceful manner, Naruto knew he had to talk to the old man about his ROOT problem. He knew that with his latest interference, Danzo would be after him even more then before. Which is why he found himself in front of the familiar set of wooden doors. Giving them a firm knock, he waited for the elder village leader to call him in.

"Ah, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen greeted with a smile. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you too Ji-ji." The blonde greeted back. "Unfortunately, I am not here for a social visit. Could we have some privacy?"

Nodding, the elder man dismissed all of the ANBU in the room and activated the privacy seals in his office. As an added step, Naruto had activated his Shadow Sight ability to ensure the room was truly empty. Once it was confirmed that they were alone, Naruto deactivated his ability and took a deep breath.

"What do you know about ROOT?"

The question alone was enough to make the elder man's blood freeze.

"Where did you learn of that, Naruto-kun?"

"Had a few run in's with them." The blonde explained with a small scowl. "And just recently, they had attempted to acquire Yakumo Kurama into their ranks through the use of loyalty and enslavement seals intertwined together."

"ROOT was a group of ANBU lead by Danzo." The old man sighed, not liking the implications. "Emotionless tools to be used for black ops missions. Assassinations, infiltration's and worse. I had ordered them to be disbanded before retiring from this position, before your father took over."

"It would appear that this order was never fully carried out." Naruto mused. _'Or, the previous Hokage allowed them to reform in secret under him.'_

"I agree." Hiruzen sighed once more, rubbing his temples as he felt a massive headache coming on.

"Unfortunately, these ROOT ANBU have seals on them that prevent them from talking, even if tortured. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a 'Dead Man's Switch' seal on them somewhere." The blonde added. "So with no concrete proof, we have nothing to show."

"What of you and Yakumo-san's memories?" The old man offered. "Inoichi could easily share those."

"Except you're forgetting that due to Danzo being an Elder Councilor, this would involve all council members, and the civilian side doesn't like me all that much." Naruto pointed out. "Also, Yakumo-chan has been ostracized by her own clan and family, so she doesn't have much support either."

"I see, this does complicate things." The Hokage stated with a frown. "For now, keep your guard up. And be sure to inform your girls, no doubt Danzo will target them to get to you."

Naruto nodded at this, as he knew this was a very likely scenario.

"Already ahead of you Ji-ji." He commented.

"Now, is there anything else, Naruto-kun?"

"Actually yes." The blonde answered. "I would like your permission to expand my compound."

"Why do you need my permission?" Hiruzen asked, a little confused.

"Because I plan on bringing in someone from outside of the village." Naruto grinned. "Tazuna."

"I see." The old man chuckled. "Very well, when do you plan on doing this?"

"Probably around the Chuunin Exams that are coming up." The blonde shrugged. "Tsunami-chan plans on attending anyways."

"Very well, Naruto-kun. You have my permission."

"Thanks Ji-ji." Naruto replied as he left the room, leaving the elder village leader alone with his thoughts.

'_I'll need to keep a closer eye on Danzo.'_ He thought. _'Unfortunately, I don't know who to trust. So it must fall to myself and Neko when she is around.'_

* * *

**Ramen Ichiraku**

The purple haired beauty, known as the 'Queen of Blades', was sitting by herself at the ramen stand, enjoying a bowl of pork miso, while chatting with Ayame. The subject of course was about Naruto. Ayame was a little disappointed that Naruto had been unable to come see her the previous day, but Yugao explained that he intended to before something serious came up. Going on to explain how Naruto had helped out Kurernai's student and potentially saved her from a very bleak future.

As the two were conversing, two shadows cast over the two women. Ayame scowled, having a good view of the two that had just entered the stand, prompting Yugao to sigh to herself.

'_Guess it was too much to hope that the bastard would leave me alone.'_

"Hey Yugao-chan." Hayate greeted as he entered the ramen stand, ignoring the scowl Ayame was sending his way as Kakashi entered along with him, reading his usual orange book.

"What do you want?" The swords mistress asked in an annoyed one.

"Don't be like that Yugao-chan." Hayate said as he took a stool next to her, ignoring the glare he was receiving from Ayame. "I just wanted to have a friendly chat."

"I've already told you, I am not interested and I will not forsake my fiance."

"Come on Yugao-chan, I know you were forced into that arrangement against your will." The coughing swordsman continued. "But I can take care of you a lot better then that brat can. In more ways then one."

This of course prompted both women to scowl at the mans words.

"If you're not going to order something, then I am going to have to ask you to leave." Ayame stated, glaring at both men in the stand.

Turning his attention to the ramen waitress, Hayate couldn't help but notice her own beauty as he let his eyes travel up and down her body. This of course did not go unnoticed by the two women, earning him another pair of heated glares that he ignored.

"Don't even think about it." The ramen waitress stated with a cold edge to her voice. "I have a boyfriend."

"Fine, fine." Hayate held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'll have a beef ramen."

"And you?" Ayame turned her attention to the masked jonin.

"Pork ramen, please." He replied before turning back to his book, clearly showing he would much rather be anywhere else but here.

The brunette ramen waitress made eye contact with the swords mistress before disappearing back into the kitchen area to prepare the orders. Normally her father would cook while she took orders, but he had an errand to run, and wouldn't return for another few hours.

"So how about you forget about that brat, and I will take you out on a nice date." The male swordsman pressed on. "That brat probably doesn't respect you anyways."

"What harm could it do to give Hayate here a chance, Uzuki-san?" Kakashi piped in lazily, still not looking up from his book. "Go out a few times as friends, and you may be surprised."

'_So that's his plan.'_ Yugao thought to herself with a scoff. _'Bring along a wing man to pressure me into going out with him. Dumb ass.'_

"I assure you, I am quite happy with my engagement to my fiance." The purple haired woman stated with a clipped tone. "And as far as _**our**_ relationship goes, it is purely professional. And even that is pushing it."

"I just don't get what you see in the brat." Hayate scoffed. "He should have died on his first mission out of the village."

Kakashi couldn't help but frown at his friends words. The masked pervert could understand being jealous that someone was dating the girl he liked, after all, he himself was jealous when Rin and Obito had started dating; but to wish death upon someone was crossing the line for him.

"What I see in Naruto-kun is none of your business." Yugao stated. "And to see you sink so low as to wish death upon a fellow Konoha shinobi just further lowers my opinion of you. You truly are pathetic."

At hearing Naruto's name come out of the purple haired ANBU's mouth, Kakashi nearly dropped his book in surprise. Stealing a quick glance at her, he could see the black streaks that ran through her hair, making him wonder how he never noticed it before. However, he didn't get to dwell on it further, as another person entered the ramen stand, immediately causing Hayate to scowl at the new comer.

"How's my Queen of Blades?" Naruto asked as he wrapped his arms around the purple haired woman's waist from behind, giving her a light kiss at the base of her neck.

This of course prompted her to smile and lean back into his embrace, all the while getting a sense of enjoyment as jealousy and rage washed over Hayate's face. Meanwhile, the masked jonin could only look on in surprise as the scene unfolded before him.

"Now, haven't I already warned you about harassing my fiance, Hayate-teme?" The blonde inquired as he settled into a stool on the opposite side of his purple haired beauty, who of course after Naruto got settled and slid over into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck while he supported her by holding on to her waist. It was clear that she was relishing the fact she could be openly affectionate with him.

"Like you have any power over me." Hayate scoffed. "I out rank you as a shinobi."

"As a shinobi maybe, but you're forgetting something." Naruto smirked. "As the clan head of the Uzumaki clan, I out rank you. And with myself being a shinobi as well, gives me a voice on the Shinobi council."

At this revelation, the sickly swordsman paled.

"Now, so far I have been polite about your unwanted advances towards Yugao-chan." The blonde continued. "However, I am beginning to grow tired of your foolish pursuit of my fiance. As such, I am tempted to bring this before the Shinobi Council, in which one of many things could happen to you, as you would be perceived as a threat to one of my future clan members."

"Firstly, you could find your shinobi license revoked and your chakra sealed. Secondly, you could find yourself stationed far outside of the village to ensure no 'accidental' contact with the affected clan member. And lastly, as I just overheard you stating your desire that I died on a mission outside of the village, it could be seen as you conspiring against a clan head, in which the punishment is public execution. So what will it be, Hayate-teme?"

While scowling at the implications, Hayate wisely remained silent. Meanwhile, Kakashi couldn't help but shudder, not just because of the words his estranged student had said, but the tone he used. Which promised that he would follow through it it if needed. As silence fell over the four, Ayame returned with the two orders, placing them each before Hayate and Kakashi.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, you're here." Ayame smiled as she made her way around the counter and enveloped the blonde in a hug from behind, as the young blonde craned his neck to give her a soft kiss on the lips, while the purple haired beauty moved slightly out of the way to allow her future sister-wife and fellow jashinist in for some affection from their mate.

"Sorry I didn't come by last night." The blonde apologized. "Something came up that I had to look in to."

"It's okay, Yugao-chan let me know what happened." The brunette waved off his apology.

"Her too?" Hayate inquired as he watched the two girls surround the blonde.

"As the last of the Uzumaki clan, he is in the Clan Restoration Act." Kakashi spoke up with a slight sigh. In all honestly, he wasn't surprised by Ayame being in a relationship with the blonde with how he loved ramen,

"Of course you would know that, since you cornered Sakura-chan about it yesterday." The blonde commented.

"I was curious since Anko and Sakura both seemed unaffected by other women's attraction towards you." The masked jonin shrugged, skillfully eating his ramen without lowering his mask. "And you were busy talking with the Hokage."

"I'll give you that." Naruto conceded. "Though I must say I am insulted by the implications you made about me to Sakura-chan."

"Oh, and what did he imply about you Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked, seeing the purple haired ANBU woman scowl at the masked jonin, as Yugao had already heard about what happened.

"I implied that Naruto may have been using fear to keep them with him." Kakashi sighed, knowing it was best if he admitted it freely then try to deny it. "And for that, I apologize."

"Apology accepted, Taida-sensei." The blonde stated with a shrug.

As silence settled over the group, Ayame ducked back into the kitchen area to prepare a few orders of the blondes preferred dish. Meanwhile both Yugao and Naruto merely enjoyed each others company with the purple haired woman sitting comfortable in the blondes lap. Once again, much to the dismay of the swordsman, Eventually the man had had enough and left the stand, along with Kakashi after paying for their meals.

"So how is she?" Yugao finally asked, inquiring about their new room mate.

"We took care of her inner demon this morning." The blonde stated. "Truthfully, it wasn't that hard. It was more about Yakumo-chan acknowledging that Ido is part of her."

"You know he is going to come after you, right Naruto-kun?" Implying that Danzo would no doubt be sending more ROOT after the blonde hanyou.

"I hope he comes after me himself." He grinned as Ayame sat down the first of many bowls of the Kushina Special in front of her mate. "Save me the trouble of having to hunt him down with all the cloak and dagger bullshit."

Both girls could only chuckle at their mate.

"Besides, every time I think of him, I feel a shiver down my spine." He continued. "Jashin-chan really wants his soul."

* * *

**Root Headquarters, Under Konoha**

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Danzo inquired in a clipped tone. While barely showing any emotion, it was clear that the bandaged war hawk was livid about the Yakumo girls disappearance.

"We returned to her residence to finish the seal, only to find that she had left the compound at some point in the last twenty four hours." One of the Root ANBU reported from their kneeling position.

"Do we have any leads as to where she could have gone?"

"I apologize Danzo-sama, but there are none." Another nameless Root answered. "As ordered, we had ensured that all connections with her sensei were severed beyond repair, and that her clan had ostracized her."

The bandaged elder frowned at this new wrench that was thrown into his plans. With the Yakumo's girls powers, he could have easily taken over the village and mold it into his own image. But once again, he was faced with another set back. While there was no evidence, the old war hawk knew that the Uzumaki brat had to be involved some how.

"Izumi!" He called out.

A few seconds later, a slender female knelt before him. Long brown hair with bangs framing her face, her onyx eyes fixed firmly on the ground before her, with a mole under her right eye. She wore a long-sleeved, high-collared purple shirt, baggy blue pants, a shuriken hostler on her right leg, red armband on her left arm, and a long purple fingerless glove that ran nearly the length of her arm.

"Yes Danzo-sama?" The woman identified as Izumi replied.

"I have a special assignment for you." He stated. "I want you to tail Uzumaki Naruto and learn what you can about him and report back to me, but do not move against him unless you see a clear opening and can either subdue or eliminate him without any witnesses or collateral damage. This will be a prolonged mission for you. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Danzo-sama." The woman answered. "I am to tail the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and report to you any findings I discover. Should I be given the opportunity to neutralize him, I will take it."

"Very good, you are dismissed to begin your mission." Danzo stated. "Do not fail me."

Without a word, the fallen Uchiha girl disappeared, while the bandaged war hawk inwardly grinned. Izumi was one of his best trackers and despite her inability to sustain her Sharingan for an extended period of time, she was quiet formidable in combat.

'_Naruto Uzumaki, you will either become my weapon or you will die.'_

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes: **And that's a wrap!

Had a surprise appearance by Izumi, since she had been requested numerous times to be added to the story and harem. However, I do need some help coming up with how and why she ended up being in ROOT, so if you have any suggestions let me know!

Also, had to bring Hayate back for a bit more rejection as well as Naruto flexing his Clan Head status. Not to mention Kakashi finally realizing that Yugao is with Naruto. I've also been having Kakashi notice the similarities between Naruto's girls.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this filler chapter, and I look forward to your thoughts in the reviews!


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Notes:** Alright, so this chapter gave me a bit of a hard time, especially with the flashback scene.

So, in case anyone missed it, last chapter we got to see none other then Jiraiya being a perverted cheap skate using a rather dirty tactic to ensure a movie gets made for his book series. Being a spy master in charge of a massive network, it wouldn't be hard for him to intercept the letter that was intended for Naruto, even if he doesn't know it yet, and slip in and take the deal for himself. Also, being the spy master it wouldn't be hard for him to know Yukie Fujikaze is actually Koyuki Kazahana,

Too bad Hiruzen unintentionally will be sending the author of the Demon Heart book series to aid the film crew. Though, I will say this. Hiuzen has no knowledge of Jiraiya's actions of tampering with the movie deal.

Also, we got to see Hayate make another appearance, who had roped Kakashi into being his wing man, and rightly get knocked down a few pegs by Naruto, as our young hanyou flexing some of his political muscle.

Lastly, the much requested Izumi had made her introduction into the story, and big thanks to _**RebelDragonWolf**_, _**CrimsonStarBlade**_, and _**YeagerMeister31**_ for their suggestions for Izumi's back story. Some of which will be shown in this chapter.

Now, as some of you may have seen, I have changed the voting poll to a blind poll. This is so it can be a surprise when the event happens. That being said, here are the top 5, _**in no particular order.**_

Sakura, Ino

Hinata, Hanabi

Anko, Kurenai

Mei, Anko

Kurenai, Hinata

_**Again, these are only the top 5, and are placed in no particular order as to who is winning the votes.**_

**Review Corner**

_**CrimsonStarBlade –**_ When I looked her up, it said that Queen Sara was from a Nintendo Wii game. Still, I need a means for Naruto to be able to meet with her and a rough time frame on when it can happen. Also, some good suggestions for some Omake's in the future.

_**HyperA2019 –**_ As much as I love Rosario+Vampire, this harem is strictly Naruto-verse only. Though I do have a story in the pipes that will be a large cross over, though the size of the harem will be significantly smaller.

_**Iamfreakingout –**_ Oh, I have plans for our perverted old toad. Some good, some bad, but all fun. Well at least for us. And you can bet that Jiraiya will get caught peeping on Naruto's girls and it will not end well for him.

_**Insanemaelstorm –**_ I figured it would be good for Naruto flex a little political muscle to get Hayate to back off, at least for now. As for Jiraiya, well let's just say when he sees the film he is going to be upset and jealous at the same time. Not to mention a fitting punishment that the future Snow/Spring Daimyo will inflict upon him.

* * *

**Harem** – Ameyuri, Anko, Ayame, Fem!Haku, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fem!Kyuubi, Fu, Fuka, Hana, Hanabi, Hinata, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mei, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Sakura, Samui, Shion, Shizuka, Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Tsunami, Yakumo, Yukata, Yugao, and Yugito

Now, on with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 21

Kakashi could only sigh in annoyance at the sight that played out before him, while the last Uchiha fumed in anger. The source of his frustration and the emo king's anger sat two rows in front of them.

What he had intended as a simple training exercise for his team had quickly been derailed by his blonde student. Not out of malicious intent or anything to sabotage his team mates training, no. When the masked jonin had instructed them to sneak into a particular theater to view the recent 'Princess Gale' movie, Naruto had refused. Citing that he would not rip off one of the few people who had treated him well growing up, and a citizen of the village. Which the silver haired jonin had to concede to, as it would set a bad precedent for his team if word got out that he had his team sneak into a business within the village.

Though when they arrived to the theater building, that was when Kakashi's headache began. In the form of Haku and Hana, as the two girls had also decided to see the same movie that his team was going to view. The former earning a heated glare for Sasuke, still remembering his embarrassing defeat at the ice user's hands. Thankfully, the boy knew better then to attempt anything in the open, especially with her now being a Konoha kunochi.

It also came to a shock to both the Uchiha and Kakashi when the young Inuzuka woman greeted the blonde with an affectionate kiss on the lips, followed by one from Haku, and a friendly hug to Sakura. While the silver haired jonin had already known that Haku was involved with Naruto, it came as a surprise to learn that Hana was also dating him. Since the young Inuzuka had turned down all suitors in the past, even himself at one point when he had asked her out on a date a few years back. Many had thought that they would have made a great match, due to her clans pack like tendencies, and his dog summoning contract. Which brought forth a small bit of jealousy to see the young woman who had rejected him show such affection to the young blonde.

Now the three girls, and two Naruto's sat a few rows before them, as the young blonde had created a Shadow Clone so that he could be beside all of his girls, making sure none of them felt left out. It made it all the better for the girls, as Naruto had ensured only he knew which one was a Shadow Clone. Though unknown to either Sasuke or Kakashi, was that the blonde had created a third clone, that was seated behind them. To make sure that the emo duck butt didn't attempt anything during the film.

The one thing that the silver haired jonin was thankful for, was that at least they were behaving, with each girl content with claiming a shoulder of the blonde to lean their heads on. With a kiss here and there shared between Naruto and the girls. The last thing he wanted to deal with was two of his students going on one of their escapades in the middle of the theater. Letting out one last sigh, the silver haired man tuned his attention back to the large screen in the front of the room.

Meanwhile, the last Uchiha seethed in hatred and anger as he stared at the back of the couples heads. Incensed that the blonde loser had the audacity to be affectionate with that ice bitch in front of him. It only served to infuriate him further to see Kiba's older sister, Hana, also leaning on the blonde. Sasuke had recognized her as one of the clan females that the worthless elders had promised him. The fools couldn't even give him one worthy girl. The older Inuzuka sibling could have birthed strong children for the last Uchiha as soon as he forced her to toss out her pathetic mutts. If it wasn't for that blonde dobe, he would have had both that ice bitch and the mutt on their knees before him.

Reluctantly, the brooding Uchiha turned his attention back to the movie playing. Though still seething on the inside, glad that he removed himself of that farce that was the Clan Restoration Act if they allowed losers like Naruto to be involved.

* * *

**Meanwhile with Izumi**

The fallen Uchiha woman glowered as she sat in one of the back rows to watch her target interact with the women that were clearly romantically involved with him. Something she could report back to Danzo for more avenues to get at the blonde jinchuriki. Though as she continued to monitor her target, old memories that she had once thought buried began to resurface.

A life before her service to Danzo, before the Uchiha clan was wiped out. A life where one Itachi Uchiha had shown her love when others had scorned her due to her only being half Uchiha, on her mother's side. Due to her heritage, she was not considered part of the clan itself, with many of the clan members turning their nose up at her, or fixing her with scowls.

However, Itachi was different from the rest of his clan. He didn't blame her for her mother's choice to leave the clan to marry her father. Instead, he took her under his wing, so to speak, and helped her grow as a kunoichi. He was there for her when both her mother and father died, giving her a shoulder to cry on while she grieved. He loved her, or so she thought.

**Flashback no Jutsu**

_Izumi couldn't believe her ears as she looked up at the taller Uchiha prodigy. Her eyes widened in shock._

"_Wha-what did you say?" She asked, trembling._

"_I asked if you would like to get something to eat with me tonight, Izumi-chan." Itachi repeated, giving her a soft smile._

'_A date, he is asking me out on a date!' Izumi thought excitedly. _

"_I-I would love to." She stammered, earning a soft chuckle from the Uchiha prodigy._

_However, before the two could continue to make plans for the evening, a swirl of leaves caught their attention as a Boar masked ANBU appeared. Knowing what was about to happen, the older Uchiha let out a small sigh before turning fully to greet the newly arrived ANBU._

"_Forgive me for intruding on your day off, Itachi-san." The man apologized. "But the Hokage has requested your presence."_

"_Very well." Itachi stated before turning back to Izumi. "I will see you later tonight."_

_Being one of few words, Itachi merely turned and nodded to the ANBU before they both disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind an excited and heavily blushing girl. Smiling, Izumi turned on her heel and began skipping away as she wondered what she would wear this evening for her date._

_**A Few Hours Later**_

_Izumi was still on an emotional high as darkness fell over the village and the moon illuminated the streets. Though, as the evening hours crept closer, she also began to feel anxious and nervous, giving her an ominous feeling that something horrible was going to happen, and soon. She did her best to ignore the nagging feeling, as she wandered around her small apartment that was located on the very edge of the Uchiha district. However, every time she would pause, the feeling would return with greater force._

_A knock at the door quickly shook her out of her musing as she felt a rush of excitement wash over her. Swiftly, she moved to the door and opened it, to reveal Itachi standing before her with a small smile on his face._

"_Itachi-kun, I am gla-urk…." A wave of coldness washed over her body as she shakingly looked down to see the Uchiha prodigy's sword impaled into the left side of her chest where her heart would be. Slowly, she slumped to her knees as the blade was ripped out of her body. "Wh-why?"_

"_Foolish Izumi." Itachi smirked. "Did you really think I would care for you? You were a means to an end."_

_Izumi could only watch as darkness began to claim her vision as the older Uchiha's right eye shifted to a more evolved state, known as the Mangekyuo Sharingan. With a tri bladed shurikan like appearance, each point bending so that he held a scythe like appearance. Each tip connected to the body of the 'shurikan' by a small line that protruded from the tip._

_That was the last thing she saw before darkness finally claimed her._

**Flashback no Jutsu Dispel**

Upon snapping out of her memories, her hand immediately shot to her chest where she had been stabbed, breathing heavily. Only surviving due to a rare medical condition that placed her heart on the right side of her chest. A single tear running down her cheek at the memory.

"Are you alright, miss?" A voice softly spoke from her left.

Waving her hand in a dismissive fashion, she turned to look at the concerned individual next to her, only to freeze in shock and even a small amount of fear as she stared into the deep blue eyes of her blonde target. However, in those eyes she could see a trace amount of amusement and knowing, but underneath all of that, she saw true concern.

"I'm fine." She managed to choke out before looking to the front of here where her target was still seated with his girls. Which made her question where this third one came from. "Just bad memories is all."

'_He knows I am following him, but how?'_ She thought to herself. _'Perhaps I should report this to Danzo-sama… __no, he would deem the mission a failure then. I must succeed!'_

"I see." The blonde nodded as he turned his attention back to the screen. "The past always does like to sneak up on us, when we haven't settled it."

"Cut the crap, how did you know?" She harshly whispered, shooting a glare at her target.

"Straight to business then, huh?" He sighed. "I swear, you Root type are no fun. But, to answer your question. Your chakra signature was unique and was constantly within range of my sensory capabilities. In other words, you were too complacent."

Izumi only scowled in response, though before she could voice her protest a dim light shined upon the two of them. Looking over, she could make out the outfit of the usher of the establishment, causing her to seize up as she had snuck in and had no ticket to allow her to be here, thus jeopardizing her mission further.

"Sorry to disturb you, but it was reported that someone had snuck into the viewing. May I see your tickets?"

Izumi was about to make a break for it, when Naruto had gently placed his hand over hears, preventing her from leaving, much to her shock. With his free hand, he produced two tickets to show the usher.

"Here you go." The blonde smiled.

The usher looked over the tickets, and confirmed they were for the seats the two were seated in, before nodding and handing the tickets back.

"Sorry for disturbing your date." The man replied, earning a slight blush from Izumi at the misconception, before moving on to the next row.

"You can let go of my hand now, Uzumaki." The Uchiha girl softly growled, earning a chuckle from the blonde as he removed his hand from hers. "Why did you do that?"

"Two reasons, one, I knew you snuck in. Two, I won't allow anyone to rip off a friend of mine if I can do anything about it." He smirked. "And to answer your unasked question, I knew you would sit here because I purposely tilted the tickets for my hime's and myself in your direction so you could see."

'_He maneuvered me to be in the position he wanted me to be in.'_ Izumi thought to herself in embarrassment of being so easily manipulated by her target.

"So, once I knew you would make your move, I bought these two tickets for these seats."

"Then I really have failed my mission." She commented with a frown. "I will have to report my failure to Danzo-sama."

"Or, you could continue on with your mission." The blonde offered, earning a look of confusion from the Root member.

"No doubt, if you report that you failed, you will be punished." Naruto explained. "I also wouldn't be surprised that once you are of no use to Danzo, he will dispose of you. Besides, your more fun then the other ROOT he sends my way. Always with the 'Danzo-sama requires your presence' or 'You will submit to Danzo-sama'."

Despite herself, Izumi couldn't help but chuckle at the blondes spot on impersonation of most of the Root members.

"What's this? A Root member that can laugh?" The blonde teased, earning a scowl from the woman.

"At any rate, I suspect your mission is to gather information on me, and no doubt subdue or eliminate me." It was more of an observation then a question, still Izumi nodded in confirmation. Knowing it was useless to hide it, as her target already discovered her anyways. "Then I highly recommend you continue with your mission, though your secondary objective is well out of your reach."

"What do you mean?" Izumi inquired, feeling insulted that the young blonde would imply that she lacked the skill to fight him.

"What I mean, is that what Danzo-teme knows of me isn't even a fraction of what I am truly capable of." He stated, looking the Uchiha girl in the eyes, causing her to flinch slightly. "And I know far more about my bloodline then I let on."

Izumi didn't doubt his words. The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

"Or," He continued. "You can return to your master, report your failure and be severely punished."

Deciding enough had been said, Naruto stood up as the movie ended, following his team and mates as they vacated the theater. Leaving behind a conflicted fallen Uchiha to digest over his words.

* * *

**With Team 7**

"Have a good date, Naruto-kun?" Sakura teased after Haku and Hana had separated from the group to go about their day, though not before giving their blonde mate another deep kiss.

"It was enjoyable." The blonde smirked. "So, looking forward to meeting Yukie Fujikaze?"

"What do you mean?" The pinkette asked, wondering where this question came from. Though she did love the actresses movies, she pondered what the connection between the movie they had just watched had with meeting the actress. Then it dawned on her. "Our next mission will involve her, won't it?"

"Good chance it will." Naruto nodded. "Why else would we come to see her latest film as a team?"

Nodding in agreement, the pinkette walked alongside her blonde mate to meet up with Kakashi and Sasuke, mentally chuckling at the look of jealousy in the eyes of both Sharingan users. Though to the silver haired jonin's credit, his was more controlled then his raven haired counter parts.

"Now that Naruto has finished his date." The masked jonin chastised, prompting the blonde hanyou to merely roll his eyes in response. Which Kakashi paid no mind to as he produced a mission scroll. "Our next mission is to the Land of Snow. We will protecting the famed actress, Yukie Fujikaze. Be ready to leave early tomorrow morning."

Having given his instructions, the silver haired jonin disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind his three students. Both Naruto and Sakura merely shrugged, ignoring the glare the last Uchiha was sending their way, before walking off towards the compound to pack for the mission and bid farewell to their loved ones. As was customary between the hanyou lovers whenever they were sent on long missions outside of the village.

* * *

**Tetsu no Kuni, A Week and a Half Later**

Team 7 had wasted no time in arriving to the sleepy coastal town within the Land of Iron to rendezvous with the film crew and director that had hired their services. As they approached the film crew, a middle aged man with glasses greeted them.

"You must be the Leaf Shinobi we hired." The man greeted. "I am Sandayu Asama, producer for the Princess Gale films."

"Nice to meet you." Kakashi responded. "We are Team 7. This is Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki, and I am Kakashi Hatake."

Sasuke merely grunted in response, whilst Sakura and Naruto nodded their heads when their names were spoken.

"A pleasure." Sandayu stated as he invited the shinobi to walk with him. As he did so, he proceeded to give the masked jonin a light run down of what the mission would involve. Though it was mostly the usual. Keep the actress and crew safe from bandits and other threats, as they were planning to film in a hostile environment.

Hearing the mission parameters, Naruto couldn't help but feel something was off. As if the man had a hidden agenda as to why he insisted they film in the Land of Snow, which was surprising considering the movie they were set to start filming. Icha Icha Paradise. The blonde hanyou couldn't help but frown at that. To see a respected actress take up such a role seemed too far out of her character from her standard heroine princess roles. However, he was broken out of his thoughts as an out of breath assistant ran towards the group.

"Sandayu-san!" The assistant gasped as he stopped before the group. "It's Yukie-sama. She ran away again!"

The producer let out a frustrated sigh upon hearing the news.

"I apologize, Yukie has been like this since she learned the movie she would be starring in this time around." Sandayu gave a short explanation. "Could you please search for her and bring her back."

Nodding, the silver haired jonin turned to his team. "Alright you three, fan out and find Yukie Fujikaze and bring her back here, safely and unharmed."

With a quick affirmative, the three split off into different directions to comb through the town to spot the wayward actress. Though, it wasn't too hard to track down the actress as a large crowd of people had gathered around the tavern she was in. As the three genins regrouped and entered the tavern, they were able to quickly spot the actress sitting at the bar with a saucer of sake. Surrounded by a small crowd of adamant fans, begging for her autograph, pictures and such.

Seeing her irritated state, both Naruto and Sakura nodded to each other coming to the same conclusion. Yukie was a flight risk, and was no doubt going to take off at the first opening. Quietly, Naruto navigated his way through the crowd, whilst the last Uchiha forced his way through towards the actress, earning a number of vocal protests towards the arrogant boy. Once he was within range, the blonde hanyou flicked his fingers in the direction of the actress, allowing small black splotches to stain her dress, leaving her completely unaware.

"Yukie Fujikaze, the director and film crew want you now." The Uchiha stated as he grabbed her arm to force her to come, earning a glare from the young woman as she pulled her arm out of his grip. This of course prompted the raven haired boy to growl in annoyance.

"Do not touch me!" She retorted, before going back to her drink.

"Forgive my team mate." Naruto spoke from the other side of her, catching her by surprise. "He has the social grace of a dying llama."

Sakura couldn't help but to giggle at the raven haired boys expense. This of course earned the two of them a hard glare from the last Uchiha.

"Sandayu-san requested that we escort you back to the film crew."

Yukie looked at the blonde for a handful of seconds as she weighed her options. Turning back to her sake, she let out a soft sigh as she weighed her options. They haven't even begun filming, and already she absolutely detested this film. Especially with _**that**_ stipulation the bastard had insisted upon.

'_**She's about to run.'**_ Inner Sakura stated.

'_Yup.'_ The pinkette agreed. _'Though Naruto-kun has already got that covered.'_

"I'll be there after I finish my drink." She finally responded. Not looking up from her sake.

"Enough, you're coming now." Sasuke exclaimed as he reached to grab her arm once more. However, it did not turn out as the Uchiha had planned.

Without hesitation, the actress quickly activated what appeared to be a self defense ring of some kind one her right hand and sprayed a pepper like spray into the vaunted Uchiha's eyes, causing him to cry out in pain. Without wasting any time, she placed a well aimed kick into his groin before shoving him down to the ground and taking off out of the tavern, pushing bystanders out of the way.

"FUCKING BITCH!" Sasuke seethed in agony as he cradled his bruised jewels, tears leaking from his eyes.

"I think I'm in love." Naruto stated with a grin that told his pink haired mate that he was joking.

Despite herself, Sakura couldn't help but to get a good chuckle out of the scene that played out before her. Though the blondes joke didn't help ease her laughter any, prompting to fallen Uchiha to attempt to glare at her, though being unable to see made him look far more ridiculous then intimidating, prompting her to laugh even harder.

"Do what you can to help him, I'll go after Yukie-san." Naruto instructed as he left the embarrassed Uchiha in the capable hands of his mate.

Upon exiting the tavern, he caught the glimpse of the actress tearing down the road on a white horse, causing him to raise an eye brow, clearly impressed by her physical capabilities. However, some sniffling off to the side caught his attention, turning, he saw two young children starting to cry.

"What's wrong?" He asked, as he knelt down beside the two.

"We-we wanted an autograph from Yukie, but she was rude and ran off." The young girl sniffled.

"I understand, she's an amazing actress." The blonde nodded. "But please forgive her, she's had a stressful day with the new movie she is working on. I mean, how would you like to be constantly surrounded by strangers asking the same thing over and over again?"

"I-I wouldn't like it very much."

"That is what Yukie-san has to deal with every day." The blonde continued as the two children began to dry their eyes. "So please, forgive her for having a bad day."

"We will." The boy answered, receiving a nod from his friend.

"Alright, I have to go and make sure she stays safe."

With that, Naruto took a step back and disappeared into the shadows, prompting the two kids to exclaim how cool shinobi's were, starting to dream up of becoming shinobi themselves on day.

* * *

**With Yukie Fujikaze**

The young actress sped down the road way out of the town upon the horse she rode upon. A small part of her loving the feeling of the breeze flowing through her air, and over all the illusion of freedom it symbolized. Though she wasn't naive. She knew they would catch up to her soon and force her back. Still, she was determined to enjoy what freedom she could.

Of course, that feeling didn't last long as she suddenly felt a light pressure on her back, and a pair of strong arms gently wrap around her mid section, forcing her to look over her shoulder, surprised to see the young blonde from earlier.

"You're a very skilled rider, Yukie-san." Naruto complimented as he gently took the reigns from her hands and subtly commanded the horse to slow down to a more peaceful pace.

"So what now, going to take me back?" She huffed, annoyed her freedom ended so quickly. _'And how the hell did he catch up to me?'_

"Boat doesn't leave until tomorrow, so we have time." He idly replied with a shrug, showing he was in no hurry to drag her back.

The two rode in tandem for nearly a half hour before the blonde stirred the horse towards a small lake. Bringing the horse to a halt, Naruto softly dismounted and held out his hand to offer aid to the young women. Scoffing, she brushed his hand away and dismounted on her own with flawless ease.

"I don't need your help."

"Perhaps not, but etiquette dictates that I at least offer."

Yukie only rolled her eyes and walked towards the shoreline. Picking up a handful of rocks, she began tossing them into the water. Watching as the ripples traveled along the surface.

"What's on your mind, Yukie-san?" Naruto asked as he followed suit and began to skip some of the smoother rocks across the surface of the lake. "Your producer commented that you've been like this ever since you learned what the movie your making is."

"Why do you care…."

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Why do you care?" She glared at the blonde, refusing to use his name.

"Because this seems out of character for you. In your previous movies, it was obvious you loved doing what you did, as you fully embraced the character you were cast to play. Even going as far as to learn how to ride a horse, shoot a bow, and even wield a sword to a degree that would give most chuunin level shinobi a run for their money." He explained.

For her part, Yukie faintly blushed at the compliment.

"You're right." She sighed as she squat down near the waters edge. "I don't want to do this movie. I absolutely hate it, and the source material it came from."

"So why do it at all?"

"Because I am contractually obligated to fulfill my end of the contract." She scoffed. "The studio insisted on doing a movie based off a popular book series."

This got the young blondes attention.

"Popular book series?"

"The studio originally sent out a request to N.U. Kitsune, but they never heard anything back." She continued. "Then that damned perverted old man showed up and offered his smut, and that damned stipulation."

"What stipulation would that be?"

"I-I have to be completely nude for 60% of the movie." She blushed, clearly embarrassed and upset over the fact. This of course prompted the blonde hanyou to narrow his eyes in disgust.

'_Figures that damnable pervert that is my godfather would demand that.'_ He thought, earning a growl from Ahri.

'_**Very convenient he shows up to get the movie deal, since you never received any type of request.' **_The kitsune growled.

'_Agreed, I have a feeling he is responsible.'_

"He wanted more too." She continued, snapping the blonde out of his thoughts. "He wanted me to have actual sex on camera, but Sandayu refused, saying it was going too far."

"It had already gone too far by demanding you appear nude." Naruto stated, showing his disgust in his godfathers demand. "Is there any way out of this contract?"

"Short of actually running into Kitsune and getting his permission for his books, nothing." She replied, tears of frustration threatening to spill from her eyes. "Sandayu-san had negotiated that the contract be open ended in the event we were able to meet with Kitsune or that he replied."

"Why do you think Kitsune is male?" Naruto decided to ask, grinning slightly at the young actress.

"Well, I suppose…." Yukie pondered her answer. "It's the way he writes. It feels like it is from a male perspective."

"I can see where you're coming from." The blonde nodded.

"You read his books?" Yukie cocked an eyebrow, as the book series was widely popular among women,, since it was considered a romance/adventure novel series.

"You could say that." He chuckled.

"Have you read the third book yet?" She asked, feeling a bit more relaxed being around someone who sympathized with her situation, and at least shared a minor similarity.

"Yup, my favorite so far." The blonde answered. "You?"

"No, I haven't been able to get a copy yet." Yukie sighed.

Chuckling slightly, Naruto proceeded to reach into his coat and unsealed a copy of his third book.

"Here." He said, catching her attention as he handed her a freshly printed copy of the third volume.

Yukie could feel her breath hitch as she took the book into her hands.

"When did your studio send the request to Kitsune?"

"About two weeks ago, why?" She replied, scrunching her eye brows in confusion.

"And when did Jiraiya show up to pitch his deal for his smut?"

"About a week ago, what does this have to do with anything?"

"Everything." Naruto replied, turning to look at the young actress. "I find it highly suspicious that he shows up so soon after a request is sent out. Not to mention, Jiraiya has an entire spy network at his disposal, so it wouldn't be hard for him to intercept the letter addressed to Kitsune."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because." Naruto smiled. "I never received any letter from your studio.

Yukie's eyes widened to comical proportions upon the revelation.

"Now, how about we have a private talk with your producer and director, and get you out of this trashy smut movie, and get you into a movie you want to do?" The blonde asked as he extended his hands towards her.

Slowly, Yukie accepted his hand and stood up, not trusting her own voice for the moment and merely nodded in acceptance. A flood of relief washing over her like a tidal wave, knowing she no longer had to bare herself in front of the camera and could finally commit to a role she really wanted to do.

After all, who wouldn't want to play the role of the Demon Queen.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** Finally, finished this chapter!

This chapter gave me a bit of a hard time, especially the bit with Izumi and her flash back scene. But, I also wanted to set up the interaction between her and Naruto. Also, I should let it be known that in this story, Yukie (Koyuki) loves her career as an actor. Though she will still be reluctant to face her past in the Land of Snow. Not to mention, it was a pain to refer to Koyuki as her alias name all throughout the chapter while wanting to use her real name.

Also, poor poor Sasuke. Gets maced and then gets a kick to the mommy and daddy buttons for good measure.

Now, on to Naruto. He clearly knows that Jiraiya is his godfather, and the old pervert doesn't hide the fact he writes the Icha Icha books, and he is renowned to be Konoha's spy master, so naturally Naruto would know about him. Speaking of the old pervert, he is going to be upset when he learns that his movie will no longer be made.

One final note, in the next chapter I am going to be breaking up the list of harem girls. Separating the ones who are already in a relationship with our blonde hanyou, and the ones he has yet to meet. The girls that are marked will also be clearly labeled as well.

With that being said, I hope everyone enjoyed this update, and I will see you on the far side.


	22. Chapter 22

**Authors Notes:** And we are back! I had originally wanted to get this up earlier then I did, but was forced to put it off due to house maintenance and other not so exciting stuff. Sorry for the delay.

In the last chapter, we finally arrived to the Land of Snow arc and was introduced to Yukie Fujikaze, or otherwise known as Koyuki Kazahana, the lost Princess of the Land of Snow. In which, she proceeds to pepper spray the Emo King, and kick him right in the muffin buttons for good measure. Only to be tracked down by our favorite blonde hanyou, allowing them some private time to talk, with Naruto learning that his perverted godfather is the cause of her current distress, and being able to help her out of an atrocious movie deal that was forced upon her. Revealing himself to be the author of her favorite books.

Now, I also left a small hint in the flashback scene with Izumi. If you picked up on it, let me know in either the comments or in a private message. This is something more of you readers, though it will come up again later in the story.

On a side note, I made a mistake in the last chapter as to where Yukie/Koyuki's defense jewelry is. I thought it was in one of her rings, when instead it is in her earrings. Either way, Sasuke still gets maced.

Also, the voting in nearly over for Naruto's threesome. Just so everyone knows, I will _**NOT**_ be announcing who won the votes, I will only list the top three in random order so everyone can theorize who won and let their imaginations take off.

**Review Corner**

**Whispers of an espurr –** Well a few things to answer here. Yes, I wanted to show Naruto with a Nara-esque intellect, since he really isn't the same idiotic, hyper blonde from the actual series. As for Izumi, you bring up a good point that I didn't think of, so thank you for pointing it out. However, I want say she does have some seals on her. Namely a loyalty seal. But I have a plan to address this issue in future chapters.

As for a Fem!Abraume OC, probably not in this story, since the list is capped out right now. But something surely to consider for a future story.

**Crenin – **Well, Jiraiya is going to be Jiraiya. Though I am turning up his perversion and ego a bit. Currently, he is a rival to N.U. Kitsune. Though this is due to him not knowing it's Naruto that is the author using a pen name. Though yes, this will affect their relationship in the future a bit, as the old pervy-sage will feel a hit in his pride due to his godson outselling his books, but also costing him the movie deal, which is ironic since he tried to sabotage the deal first.

As for Kakashi, he will come around and realize his errors after Sasuke leaves, though he will have to earn back Naruto and Sakura's trust.

**Re Lovely Lover –** Yeah a bit much, but Icha Icha is essentially porn, so of course Jiraiya would want as much nudity as possible. As for Koyuki/Yukie being forced into the movie, it's only because of the contract she signed. Which puts her in a position of she either does the movie or loses her career as an actress. Of course, this is just a set up for Naruto to save the day in the end, and reveal himself to be the author to her, thus granting her studio permission to do the movie based off his books instead.

As for Izumi's mother, unfortunately Itachi killed her during the massacre. The only reason Izumi survived was due to her heart being on the other side of her chest. Please keep in mind I am still piecing together Izumi's back story as I go forward. I will try to have more flashbacks to fill in some of the holes.

**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark –** Yeah, separating the list is going to make it easier to keep track of all of the girls. I am also going to be going a step further, and begin to put together ideas for how Naruto will meet those that have yet to be marked or start a relationship.

And yes, Yukie was surprised to actually meet her favorite author, and even more so knowing that he is going to be around her for a considerable amount of time as he is part of her escort. Though while she will develop a crush on him, their relationship will be one based on trust and understanding, as Naruto will be able to relate to her troubles and give her the strength to see it through.

**CrimsonStarBlade –** I will have to look more into Queen Sara, but I make no promises.

As for Princess Koyuki giving Naruto a special reward after the mission is completed, I have something in mind that is going to drive Jiraiya insane with jealousy. While it won't involve a hot spring, it will involve some lights, cameras, and lots of action.

As always, good ideas for future Omake's.

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

Alright, that's enough yapping from me. On with the story!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 22

**Konoha, Root HQ**

"It's been nearly two weeks Izumi." Danzo stated as he glared down at the woman before him. The old war hawk had expected immediate results when he had dispatched the Uchiha woman. Instead, she had so far only relayed information he already knew. "What is your progress?"

"Forgive me, Danzo-sama, but I have made little progress in my task as Uzumaki-san is currently out of the village on a mission with his team." Izumi reported, her eyes to the floor.

"Why didn't you pursue your target then?" The bandaged war hawked inquired, not taking his eyes off her. "Outside of the village, there would be a higher chance of the Kyuubi Jichuriki being isolated."

"With all due respect, Danzo-sama." Izumi ventured. "Even outside the village, Uzumaki-san is well protected and due to his past treatment by the civilians, hardly ever lets his guard down. The Haruno girl that is on the team is also one of his girlfriends, and is never far from him."

Danzo seemed to mull over this. He already knew from his sources that the pink haired girl was romantically involved with the Jinchuriki, but was now beginning to wonder if he could use the boys love interests as a means to trap the brat and finally get him to submit to becoming his weapon.

"And what of the women involved with the jinchuriki?" The bandaged man inquired. "Could they be used to lure the jinchuriki into a trap?"

"I do not think so, Danzo-sama." Izumi replied with a slight frown. "Almost all of them are formidable and would attract too much attention if we were to attempt to abduct them. And the only civilian is constantly accompanied by one of the others."

The old war hawk could only frown at this. It almost felt as if each of the brats girls were specifically instructed to look out for one another to reduce the chances of any sort of action taken against them.

"I expect immediate results upon the Jinchuriki's return." Danzo commanded, looking down once more at the Uchiha girl before him. "I will not accept any further failures from you, Izumi."

He left his unspoken threat hang in the air.

"Of course, Danzo-sama." She replied automatically.

"You are dismissed." The bandaged war hawk waved his hand in a dismissive fashion.

Without another word, Izumi stood and left the room. Hiding the fear she felt as it was very clear what the threat was. If she fails one more time to acquire her target, she will be disposed of. Though from her conversation with the blonde jinchuriki last week, she already knew she was doomed to fail. Recalling the words he spoke to her in regards to Danzo.

'_I wouldn't be surprised that once you are of no use to Danzo, he will dispose of you.'_

'_It's true.'_ Izumi thought to herself with a frown. _'Danzo-sama __has made it clear that he already thinking of disposing of me.'_

Meanwhile, Danzo watched as the Uchiha girl left the room before turning his attention to another individual that was in the room.

"Has there been any leads for the Yakumo girl, Sai?"

No, Danzo-sama." The emotionless boy replied. "If the jinchuriki is involved, then she is likely at his compound. I have been unable to confirm that, as the security seals around the Uzumaki compound are extremely complex."

"That damned-able woman was far more efficient with seals then Minato could ever hope to be." Danzo mused. "Continue searching for a way into the compound."

"Of course, Danzo-sama." Sai replied. "Is there anything else you require of me?"

"Yes." The old war hawk stated. "Have two Root squads follow Izumi. If she shows any disloyalty, they are to eliminate her."

"It will be done." The boy said before standing from his kneeling position and setting off the complete the tasks given to him.

"Are you sure it's wise to just eliminate her, she could be used for breeding." A shadowed man inquired from the shadows. "Hell, I would even volunteer. She isn't bad looking."

"Unfortunately, her Uchiha blood is too diluted to guarantee the Sharingan is passed down." The old man informed his partner in the shadows. "She is also unable to fully utilize her own, which also makes her useless as a test subject. Still, we can give her body to Orochimaru."

"I am sure he will appreciate that."

"How goes Operation Red Dawn?" The old war hawk turned to the larger man, whom only grinned in response.

"The organization has been established and will begin to move within a few months." The man reported. "All it took was a few well placed lies, a little nudging, and a fake promise about peace."

"Good." Danzo replied with a faint smile.

If he couldn't get the Kyuubi jinchuriki as his own personal weapon, then he would acquire the rest and force the entire shinobi nations to submit under his rule. After all, why settle for a village when you can have the entire world under your thumb.

* * *

**With Naruto, Aisu Bay**

Sandayu and the director of the movie could only stare at the young blonde shinobi in front of them with their mouths hanging open. For his part, Sandayu was greatly relieved that Yukie no longer had to bare herself in front of the cameras, and even better was that the young actress was fully on board and reinvigorated with the new direction they were going in.

"So you're the author of the Demon Heart books?" Sandayu finally asked to clarify what he was just told.

"That is correct." Naruto replied as he unsealed one of his many scrolls that lined the inside of his jacket, producing three medium sized scrolls in his hands. "I even have my old transcripts of my currently published books as proof."

"So, now we don't have to go to the Yuki no Kuni, we can film elsewhere." Yukie put in with a smile. "How about Waterfall, or Hotsprings?"

Sandayu frowned slightly at this. He needed to get her to the Yuki no Kuni, especially since the studio had already fronted the bill for the travel expenses. Naruto also cocked an eye brow at her actions. He could feel that she really didn't want to go to their destination, even though they were already on the boat. Of course, this was solely up to the producer and director.

"But Yukie-hime." Sandayu sighed, using her nickname he had given her. "We are already on the boat to the Yuki no Kuni. The studio has already paid for the travel expenses, as well as the shinobi protection detail. If we were go elsewhere, the expenses would increase further and they may halt the film all together."

At this revelation, Yukie's eyes widened in shock, before she sunk back down into her chair. Asama sighed. He didn't like using this under handed tactic, but it was the only way he could get her to Yuki no Kuni. He just hoped he could convince her to help inspire the people still loyal to her father to fight back and over throw her uncle that had usurped the thrown, and then perhaps have her take her rightful place and lead the country.

'_**She really doesn't want to go to Yuki no Kuni.'**_ Ahri observed.

'_Yeah, I'll have to talk to her about it later.'_ The blonde hanyou mentally nodded. _'Find out the reason why.'_

"So," Naruto spoke up, bringing the attention back to him. "I will write the script for the movie, I just need to know if you want it to be a compilation of the books, or if you want an original story."

"For this, we really need to wow the audiences." The director exclaimed as he stood up for his chair, waving his hands around in erratic fashion. "We go for an original screen play! This will be the best movie ever!"

"Clash in the Land of Snow." The blonde mused out loud.

"What?" Asama inquired.

"That will be the name of the movie."

"I love it!" The director exclaimed once more, full of energy. "Demon Heart: Clash in the Land of Snow. It's perfect!"

"Very well, I will start on the script tonight and I should have it finished before we make landfall." Naruto stated as he stood up from his chair. "And please keep this quiet from Kakashi and Sasuke. This is something I do in my personal time and would prefer if only a select few knew of it."

"Of course, Naruto-san." Asama replied.

Nodding, the blonde made his way towards the door, silently removing the silencing seal that had been placed and exited the room, closing the door behind him so the director, producer, and Yukie could discuss the shooting schedule for the film. Only to come face to face with a grinning pink haired hanyou, an annoyed Uchiha, and Kakashi narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the young blonde.

"And what was that about?" The masked jonin inquired.

"Something that you need not worry about." Naruto replied as he walked past the other two, only to be stopped by Kakashi who placed a hand on the blondes shoulder.

"I would like to know, regardless." The masked jonin pressed the issue.

"Just know that it does not affect the mission." Naruto stated as he shrugged off the jonin's hand. "Now, I got stuff to do, so I'll be in my room until it's my turn to take watch."

"Pfft, I don't know why that stuck up bitch wanted to talk to you anyways." Sasuke commented.

"What's the matter duck ass?" The blond smirked as he turned his attention to the raven haired emo. "Are you still upset that a civilian took you down?"

'_**We should keep an eye on him.' **_The kitsune girl commented. _**'Remember what happened last time someone humiliated him.'**_

'_Already got that covered.'_ Naruto mentally replied.

"That bitch just got lucky." The Uchiha fumed.

"So what now? Are you going to attack her like you attempted, and failed to do with Haku-chan?" The blonde taunted. "I am sure that will go over great with the rest of the Elemental Nations."

This seemed to strike a cord with the Uchiha, as he was reminded of his failure to enact his revenge on the ice user, and a bit of shame on Kakashi's part. As the masked jonin had known what the last Uchiha would attempt, and still let it continue. Looking back, he realized how lucky he was that his blonde student had prevented the Uchiha from enacting his revenge. Realizing that if the last Uchiha had been successful, Kakashi may have found his neck on the chopping block for allowing it to happen.

Not saying another word, the blonde hanyou departed with Sakura in tow towards their shared cabin on the ship. Leaving the two Sharingan users to brood and mull over what was said. It wasn't until Naruto and Sakura had disappeared into their cabin did Kakashi realize that the blonde still did not inform him of what took place in the room prior.

* * *

**With Naruto and Sakura**

"So….?" Sakura began, looking to her mate expectantly.

"Well." Naruto began as he activated the silencing seal around their cabin, giving them some privacy from prying ears. "I found one of the reasons Yukie-san was in a bad mood."

"And?" The pinkette required as she took a seat at the table next to the blonde hanyou, whom had begun writing away in his notebook.

"Well, turns out my ever so humble godfather is the cause of it." Naruto began. "I have reason to believe that he used his spy network to intercept a letter addressed to Kitsune, since the studio originally wanted to do a movie based off of my books. Shortly afterwards, Jiraiya moved in with his own deal. Fortunately, Sandayu left the deal open ended that in the event that I did finally reply, they would drop the Icha Icha movie in favor of their first choice."

Sakura could only scowl at the information she had just been given.

"Good thing Jiraiya was too arrogant to consider the chance of them getting permission for my books." The blonde continued. "Bastard made some disgusting demands for Yukie-san while she was on camera."

"Jashin, don't tell me." She cringed, knowing full well what her mate was implying, as the legendary toad sannin was well known for being a pervert and having no respect for women in general. Naruto said nothing, but only nodded to confirm her suspicions.

"Anyways, I am starting to write out the script for the movie. They want an original story, so might as well make this a continuation of the third book."

"So I take it Yukie-san is a fan of yours as well?"

"Yup." He grinned, looking to his mate. "You should have seen the look on her face when I revealed that I was the author."

"I can only imagine."

"At any rate, I don't think she will be prone to run away anymore." Naruto continued. "However, I think there is more to this mission then just simply protecting the actress and film crew. I'm going to have to do some digging when we make landfall."

"Why do you say that?"

"Yukie-san really doesn't want to go to Yuki no Kuni." The blonde explained. "I don't know the reasons yet, but I have a feeling it will reveal itself soon."

Sakura only nodded. She had complete faith that her mate would ensure the mission would be a success and even do everything in his power to ensure no one got hurt. Of course this made her think of how the actress had humiliated the arrogant Uchiha earlier that day.

"You really think Sasuke-teme will try something against Yukie-san?" The pinkette inquired.

"I wouldn't put it passed the duck ass emo." The blonde replied. "He has an extremely fragile ego and needs to stroke it constantly."

"And if he does try something?"

"I've already taken care of that." He reassured his pink haired lover. "I've placed a seal on her that will warn me if she is in danger."

"Always thinking ahead, Naruto-kun." She smiled as she stood up from her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning over his shoulder. "You know, we could make use of that silencing seal."

The blonde hanyou couldn't help but chuckle at his mates insatiable appetite.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

A light mist blanketed the waters surface, mildly obscuring vision just enough to force the boat to slow to a crawl as they navigated around various sized icebergs and other smaller debris that float on top of the water. Which served the blonde hanyou just fine, as it gave him, or rather his shadow clone, more time to continue to work on the script for the movie. As the director had insisted on starting to shoot at least Yukie's solo scenes as soon as they made landfall. Of course, that didn't stop the director from starting to shoot some boat scenes with Yukie. Prompting the actress to have to be on call at all times.

However, the slowed pace didn't sit well with the sole Uchiha as the raven haired emo was brooding and complaining to Kakashi about the lack of movement and that they were just wasting their time. Time that he could be using to train instead of watching after some spoiled actress, which of course earned him a hard glare from said actress.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura only rolled their eyes at their team mate's behavior. If the young teenager wanted to train, there were dozens of exercises he could do right now to help get his reserves up. But it seemed as the brooding avenger only cared about training with flashy jutsu's. Regardless if performing them a handful of times would leave the Uchiha exhausted to near chakra exhaustion.

"Uzumaki-san." A feminine voice sounded from behind the blonde, whom was standing at the bow of the ship, watching for anything suspicious within the mist.

"Please, call me Naruto." The blonde smiled as he turned his attention to the young actress.

"Very well, Naruto-san." Yukie replied. "I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your current project."

Said blonde cocked an eyebrow at her wording, though figured it was due to the possibility of the two Sharingan users possibly over hearing their discussion.

"Of course, Yukie-san." He replied as he turned his attention back to the mist, as the actress stood beside him, leaning her back against the railing.

"The characters seem to be alive." The actress began. "Are they based off people you know?"

"That is correct." He chuckled. "As selfish as it sounds, the main character, Dante, is based off of me, and very loosely inspired by events in my life so far. The demon queen, Trish, is also based off someone very close to me, as well as the other demon hunter woman, Lady, that joins the hero."

"I see." Yukie nodded. Though she had a feeling he wasn't divulging everything, and that perhaps some of the experiences the hero in the books were far closer to home then he let on. "So how is the script coming along?"

"First draft is almost done." Naruto replied, earning a shocked gasp from the actress.

"But you just started last night."

"Well, I already had most of the fourth already written. So I just been converting it into the script." He explained. "That way, the fourth book will be the novelization of the movie. And don't worry, you have full authority to refuse any part you don't feel comfortable with."

"I…. Thank you." She smiled with a faint blush, charmed with how considerate he was. Especially considering her previous situation.

"I'll bring the draft by later this afternoon for you to look over and give your insight." The blonde stated, giving the actress a warm smile, causing her to blush once more.

"Yukie-hime, we're ready to shoot the next scene!" Asama called out from the other side of the ship, causing the young actress to sigh.

"Duty calls." Naruto commented, earning a small giggle from Yukie before she departed to shoot her scene. _'__Though I wish the director would ease off a little with all these extra scenes. Because somehow, I have to work the scenes they want to use into the script.'_

'_**I guess that's Show Business for you.'**_ Ahri quipped, earning a mental nod from the blonde hanyou.

Turning his attention back out to the water, he could see he mist starting to get thicker, prompting him to narrow his eyes in suspicion. He could feel the chakra in the air that powered the mist that now began to envelop the boat.

"We got incoming!" Naruto yelled to the rest of Team 7 and the film crew, alerting everyone to the coming threat. Quickly jumping away from his position to regroup with his team.

Immediately, everyone began to run for cover as some of the film crew sough refuge within the ship as the others were instructed to keep filming in case they could get something they could use for the film, causing Naruto to roll his eyes, though he supposed it would look good on film. As this happened, Kakashi began to bark orders at the genin.

"Sasuke, you protect Yukie!" He called out. "Sakura, I want you to protect Asama-san, and Naruto you protect the film crew!"

Immediately after the orders were given, three individuals landed on the bow of the ship where Naruto stood only a handful of seconds prior, prompting the four Konoha shinobi to take up a defensive stance close to their assigned detail. All three fitted with an armor like outfit that none of the Konoha shinobi had ever seen before. Grinning, the smallest of the trio spoke. A pink haired girl with her hair tied up in pig tails peeking out trough her hood that covered most of her head.

"How cute, the princess got herself some body guards who want to play ninja."

At the word princess, Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto cast their eyes towards Yukie. All three coming to the same conclusion.

'_Well, Naruto-kun was right, there was more to this mission.'_ Sakura thought to herself.

'_**And this is why we trust our mate over taida-sensei.'**_ Inner commented.

"So, we can do this the easy way, and you just hand Princess Koyuki over to us and you get to live." A tall, slender man with lilac colored hair tied back into a pony tail commented. "Or we do this the fun way and you resist and we kill you and then take the princess."

"Seriously, has that ever worked on anyone?" Naruto remarked sarcastically as he summoned one of his dark blades into his hand in a reverse grip position. A simple tanto length blade, showing he was ready to fight as he positioned himself to defend and counter as needed. Though he didn't miss the now identified Princess Koyuki's eyes widen in fear at her identity being revealed, out of the corner of his eye.

"Fun way it is then." The large snow shinobi stated with a laugh. A large man with short, crop cut purple hair with thick, muscular face. Earning chuckles from the other two snow shinobi.

"If you're smart, you'll give up now." The emo arrogantly stated with a smirk. "Because you're going up against an Uchiha Elite."

'_**Too **__**bad**__** the current score for his Elite status is 0 – 3.'**_ Ahri commented from the blonde's mind.

'_Let's see, he's lost to Zabuza, Haku-chan, and __that one chick that lured him into a trap in Kiri.'_ Naruto recounted the Uchiha's current losses.

'_**Could make an argument that the he also lost to Koyuki-san.'**_ The kitsune girl added with a mental grin at the memory of the vaunted Uchiha being taken down by a mere civilian.

'_That is true, Koyuki-hime did do a number on him.' _Naruto agreed with a mental nod.

"Ha, this brat is funny." The larger of the three snow shinobi laughed. "He thinks we give a shit about his name."

"You dare mock the might of the Uchiha clan!?" The emo seethed, only earning more chuckles from the three enemy shinobi. Which only served to infuriate the last Uchiha further.

"Enough talking, get the princess Mizore, kill anyone that gets in your way!" The lilac haired man ordered as he moved to engage Kakashi. "Fubuki, you deal with the arrogant brat."

"Damn, I wanted to play with the duck ass." The larger of the three commented, but moved to carry out his orders regardless.

"Understood, Nadare." The pink haired snow shinobi replied with a grin as she readied herself for combat.

"Sakura! Back Sasuke up." Kakashi called out as he focused on the apparent leader of the snow shinobi.

"I don't need help, I'll take them both!" The Uchiha exclaimed as he leaped forward to engage both of the charging enemy shinobi.

Before the rest of Team 7 could respond, the sole Uchiha had charged the larger snow shinobi, leaving Koyuki completely unprotected. This of course caused Naruto to growl in frustration as the arrogant emo refused to follow orders. Quickly, the blonde hanyou summoned half a dozen shadow clones to not only protect the film crew and director, but also lead them away from the battlefield. Despite the director's insistence to capture the action on film. This was simple solved by one of the clones taking the camera to capture the confrontation between the six shinobi.

Of course, Sasuke's blind attack on the large, purple haired man did not go as the Uchiha had planned or envisioned as Mizore proved to be far more agile then the young genin had expected, despite the snow shinobi's size. Twisting gracefully out of the raven haired boys attack and countering with his own as the larger man grabbed Sasuke by the foot and effortlessly tossed him in the direction of the pink haired snow shinobi.

Seeing his opening, Mizore launched his metallic like gauntlet towards the now exposed princess. However, before the clawed hand could reach Koyuki's position, the princess disappeared and was replaced by a grinning Naruto as he caught the gauntlet with his left hand and yanked hard on it, forcing the larger man to sail forward with no control towards the waiting blonde. Naruto wasted no time and clotheslined Mizore into the deck of the ship with a sicking crack as the boards threatened to break under the impact.

Not giving the fallen man a chance to counter attack, the blonde hanyou quickly leapt back to where Koyuki now stood in complete shock, having experienced being switched for the first time.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, only receiving a nod in reply from the dumbstruck princess. Satisfied with her response, the blonde turned to his pink haired mate and motioned her to come to his location with Asama.

"Can you protect these two while I handle the Jolly Green Giant over there?" He asked, gesturing towards the large man that was struggling to stand once more, as Sakura approached him with Asama in tow behind her, getting a quick nod from the pinkette. Knowing that his mate could easily defend the two, Naruto stalked towards Mizore, who was once again on his feet and in a foul mood due to being taken down so easily.

"Damn brat." He grunted as he narrowed his eyes at the blonde in front of him.

Naruto said nothing as he simply dropped into a wide stance that was unfamiliar to the larger man. His fists balled up and extended outwards, set to either attack or quickly defend and counter. Mizore didn't get long to contemplate this as the blonde quickly shot out from his position and began to assault the larger man with a flurry of elbows and knee strikes, as well as a series of powerful punches and kicks that sent the snow shinobi staggering backwards from the onslaught.

However, the larger man failed to notice his position and was soon thrown off the side of the boat due to a brutal jumping knee strike to the chest, accompanied by a vicious elbow to the top of his head, causing white dots to cloud his vision as he spilled onto a smaller ice berg next to the ship.

'_Damn kids elbows feel like steel.'_

* * *

**Sasuke vs Fubuki**

Meanwhile on one of the larger icebergs just off to the side of the boat, Sasuke was evading a flurry of ice attacks from his pink haired opponent as he countered with his own katon jutsu's. More then once had he nearly been trapped within one of the ice techniques that the snow shinobi was using, only barely escaping with a split second substitution with various items, and at one point a poor seal that was resting on the iceberg.

"You're really good at running." She commented with a grin, trying to get under his skin. "Is this all the mighty Uchiha is capable of?"

"Try this!" The raven haired teenager exclaimed as he went through another series of hand seals before launching a massive fireball towards her.

Fubuki countered with another series of hand seals before slamming them to the ground, forcing a large ice wall to shield her and begin to surround the lone Uchiha. Attempting to trap him once more. However, Sasuke saw her intent and quickly bounded back as the ice began to enclose upon him faster, nearly capturing him once more before he was forced to substitute himself with an oil lamp with an explosive tag on it. As the tag went off, sending a shower of ice and snow everywhere, the Uchiha used the explosion as a distraction and launched a pair of ninja wire around the in an attempt to capture the snow shinobi, hoping to catch her in the explosion.

It had almost worked, though the pink haired shinobi was quick on her feet and activated a pair of wing like apparel from her armor that cut through the wire before using the heat from the explosion to push her upwards into the sky and away from the fire and a bit towards the ship. Smirking, she went through another series of hand seals before launching a barrage of ice shaped birds towards the sole Uchiha. Forcing him to evade once more, though not before getting cut a few times from the razor sharp wings.

Taking a moment to gauge the location of the four Konoha shinobi, seeing that all of them had their attention elsewhere, the pink haired snow shinobi reached into her pouch and produced a simple scroll and tossed it in the direction of the princess, whom had quickly picked it up and stuffed it in her pocket, hoping to avoid any attention. However, neither of the two women expected a sole shadow clone to witness the exchange.

"If that is all you can do, then I am not impressed." Fubuki commented as she landed a good distance away from the raven haired Uchiha, earning a growl from her opponent.

However, before they could continue their fight, both were forced to jump back as two massive whales made of ice landed between them. Forcing them to retreat to higher ground to avoid being sent to the icy waters below them. Meanwhile Sasuke leapt to the boat for safety. Fubuki watched as the Konoha shinobi managed to return to the ship, as her team mates landed beside her. Though Mizore looked like he had seen better days with his chakra armor full of dents and blood running down from the top of his head.

"The hell happened to you?" Fubuki asked.

"That blonde brat." The big man replied with a groan. "Damn gaki has hands of steel."

"Either way, we should inform our failure to Doto-sama." Nadare stated.

* * *

**With Team 7 and Princess Koyuki**

"Mind explaining why you lied to us, Asama-san?" Kakashi asked, now that Team 7, the newly identified princess and her producer were gathered in one of the rooms.

"The only thing I lied about was Koyuki's identity." The producer defended. "And that was for her protection. And the mission I hired you for clearly stated that there was a high chance of encountering hostile shinobi."

"Still, you should have let us know before hand." The masked jonin continued with a sigh. It seemed his team was cursed that all over their missions outside of the village were destined to be far more difficult then anticipated. "So what do you plan to do?"

Asama looked towards the princess, whose eyes were on the floor before sighing and looking at the silver haired jonin.

"I am hoping Koyuki-hime's presence in the country will inspire the rebels that hope still exists so we can overthrow Doto, and put Koyuki back on the throne." He replied.

"Admirable goals, but my team can not fight a rebellion for you." Kakashi sighed.

"We are not asking you to fight in our battle, only that you protect Koyuki as you were hired to." Asama stated.

"We were hired to protect Yukie Fujikaze, not Princess Koyuki." The silver haired jonin stated, pointing out a clarification to the mission parameters. This of course prompted both Naruto and Sakura to shoot the masked jonin a glare at what he was implying. "I will have to talk to my team tonight about what we are going to do, as the revelation of Koyuki's true identity does complicate matters."

'_**By talking with his team, he means he is going to ask what Sasuke-teme wants to do.'**_ Inner Sakura commented, earning a mental nod from the pinkette.

'_How much you wanna bet now that duck ass knows she is a princess, he will start to make a move on her?'_

'_**That's a fools bet. We both know he is going to start flaunting his Uchiha superiority to win her over.'**_

'_Too bad it looks like she already has eyes on another.'_ Sakura mentally grinned, as she had caught the princess turned actress casting glances at her blonde mate. This of course prompted Inner Sakura to giggle.

"At any rate, we should get some rest for the night." Kakashi said as he moved towards the door. "I'll let you know of our decision tomorrow."

Having said that, the two Sharingan users departed the room. Leaving only Sakura and Naruto behind. As soon as both Kakashi and Sasuke left the room, Naruto closed the door and activated the silencing seal before turning back to the now confused actress and her producer.

"So, would you mind telling me why that pink haired shinobi tossed a scroll to you?" He asked, prompting Koyuki's eyes to widen in shock.

"She-she's my best friend." Koyuki sighed, as she took the scroll out of her pocket. "We've discretely kept in contact throughout the years after I was forced to leave when my uncle murdered my father."

"If she is your friend, why is she working for the bastard that usurped the throne?"

"Because Doto held her family hostage." The princess replied. "She has also been acting as a spy for the rebellion to help them avoid traps and attacks as much as possible. I just want this to end, so the people can be free of my uncles tyranny, but I…."

"You're afraid you will fail. That you will not be able to live up to the peoples hopes." Naruto finished, already picking up on the princesses fears. Moving towards her, the young blonde hanyou knelt before the princess and grasped her hand reassuringly.

"I, Naruto Uzumaki, will stand by your side until you are rightfully seated on your throne and the tyranny of your uncle has ended." He vowed before the now shocked princess.

"And you have my help as well." Sakura responded as she knelt down along side her mate.

"Bu-but what about your team?" Koyuki asked. "If he decides to…."

"Fuck him." Naruto commented with a shrug, though earning a small chuckle from Sakura. "I will not leave anyone to suffer if I can help it. Besides, I already know he will continue the mission, if only to stoke the Uchiha's pride and ego."

"I… Thank you." Koyuki smiled as she wiped away a few tears of joy.

"Now, I promised I would let you look over the script, so here you go." The blonde stated, getting everyone's attention as he produced a scroll from his trench coat and handed it towards the princess.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And done!

Now, this chapter has a few things in it to set up for future events that will be happening both in the immediate and distant future within the story. If you think you caught any of them, feel free to let me know via reviews or private messages.

Not going to lie, the fight scenes gave me a bit of a hard time. But, got it finished. Koyuki's identity has been revealed, and Naruto and Sakura learned that Fubuki is a spy for the rebellion. Now for those wondering, Naruto was using Muay Thai in his fight. Hope I made it clear enough.

Also, I implied a bit of attraction between Naruto and Koyuki, which will only grow in the next chapter.

At any rate, hope everyone enjoyed this, and I will see you on the far side!


	23. Chapter 23

**Authors Notes:** And here we go again!

New poll is up! _**Should Sasuke be disqualified for showing up late during the finals?**_

First off, I want to say Thank You to everyone who has supported this story so far. Currently, this marks one of my biggest and most successful stories I have written, which is a huge personal accomplishment for me, and it wouldn't have come about without all of you, so thank you.

Now, in the last chapter Princess Koyuki's true identity was revealed to the rest of Team 7. Sasuke is being, well Sasuke, though now that he knows she is a princess, expect him to be a bit more arrogant and go with his usual spiel. Should be entertaining to see his superior Uchiha flirting, only to get shot down.

Also, this chapter is going to have a few scene jumps between various locations as there are a few things I want to cover both with Naruto and his team, as well as things that are happening in Konoha while he is away.

Lastly, as many of you noticed I uploaded a new story titled _**Remember Me**_, so if you haven't already read it, feel free to check it out and let me know what you think. First chapter moves a bit fast, but it is mostly to set up for the coming chapters.

**Review Corner**

**3headed-dragon – **Well, harem list isn't officially capped off just yet. As glutton for punishment I am, I am still taking suggestions for more girls to be added and the door is open for Fubuki to be added, though she will probably be a background girl with Koyuki being the main focus. And yes, her being a spy was a popular recommendation from readers.

**CrimsonStarBlade –** Yes, that is a Devil May Cry reference. Originally I wasn't going to name the characters in Naruto's books, but thought better of it and decided the DMC characters would fit perfectly for it. As for the Sasuke omake, I have a different idea that involves him trying to steal Naruto's taijutsu style. All I can say is R.I.P. shins.

**Biginferno –** Fear not, I got plans for our dear Izumi. Some of which were already hinted at in the previous chapter. And yes, I have plans for the old perverted frog in later chapters surrounding his reaction to Naruto having so many beautiful women, as well as the Slug Princess herself. Should be entertaining.

**Dovah117 – **More Sasuke humiliation, coming right up!

**HyperA2019 – **The only one of Naruto's parents that is coming back fully is Kushina, but that won't be until way later. Minato will make another appearance, but it will be short and will be there, more so to allow Naruto to dish out some retribution of his own.

**Thor94 –** I figured it would be a nice twist to have Danzo be responsible for the formation of the Akatsuki, though for his own agenda though.

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

One last note, since no one seemed to have caught the reference in Izumi's flashback from Chapter 21, I will reveal it here. In short, it wasn't Itachi that attempted to kill her, but rather Obito. Main reason why I focused on only the right eye changing.

Now, can anyone figure out the reference in the last chapter?

**Spotlight**

Figured I would share some love with two stories that I have been following, and have been extremely addicting to read.

**Crossing ****Boundaries**** – by SelenetheNerd:** A Naruto/Bleach crossover that is truly unique. With Naruto being a former/current Espada. Real fun to see our blonde idiot be portrayed as someone who commands respect from those under and around him. Give it a read!

**From Ninja to Shinigami – by jacke44:** Another Naruto/Bleach cross over, I am noticing a pattern here. Starts off during the month break during the Chuunin Exams, in which Naruto returns to Wave to train himself and stumbles across something that will change his life. Lots of unique twists and a good dose of comedy to balance it out.

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 23

**Kazahana Castle**

"What do you mean, you failed!?" The large man that sat upon a large, ornate and luxurious looking throne exclaimed as he looked down at the two snow shinobi he had dispatched to acquire the lost princess. "And where is Mizore?"

"Mizore is currently in the hospital being treated for a concussion, a fracture skull, three cracked ribs and a cracked sternum from his fight with the Konoha shinobi." Nadare reported from his kneeling position, though clearly shocked at how much damage his large teammate had suffered from the blonde genin.

"And who is this Konoha team that has given my elite so much trouble?" Doto asked, though in a tone that made it evident he was not amused.

"A team of three genins, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura, and Naruto, lead by Kakashi Hatake, the copy cat ninja." The lilac haired snow shinobi responded, not knowing the other two genin's names as only the arrogant Uchiha proudly stated his clans name.

"I see, a Uchiha and the infamous Copy-Cat of Konoha." Doto commented. "No wonder Mizore is in the condition he is in then."

"Actually sir, it was the blonde one, Naruto that put Mizore in such a condition." Fubuki added from her kneeling position.

"A mere genin put one of my Elite in the hospital?"

"He utilized a brutal taijutsu we have never seen before." Nadare explained as he produced the dented chakra armor that Mizore had been wearing, much to the shock of the large middle aged man that sat upon the throne, whom took in the damage done to the piece of armor.

As he looked at the battered armor, Doto was deep in thought. This armor was designed to absorb unnatural punishment, both physical and jutsu alike, and yet a mere genin with an unknown taijutsu style had obliterated it. He would need to have his development team focus on designing a stronger armor that can better withstand such an onslaught, though mostly for himself. The others can get their upgraded models later, if they survive their encounters. After all, they were expendable tools.

"What are your orders, Doto-sama?" Fubuki inquired.

"For now, you will do nothing." The man stated as he rose from his seat, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Right now, they will have no choice but to take the south pass through the mountains. It is there, we will set an ambush in three days. That is when you will strike, kill everyone and bring the princess to me."

"Understood, Doto-sama." Both snow shinobi replied in unison before departing the throne room, leaving the larger man to his thoughts.

'_So__on__, my dear niece.'_ Doto mentally snickered. _'You will give me the final key to the weapon that your father built, and with it I will keep the entire country locked in an iron grip.'_

Meanwhile as the pink haired snow shinobi walked along side her teammate in silence. While her face wore her trademark, cocky grin, on the inside she was worried. Worried for her best friend and those with her, as she had no way to get word out of the planned ambush without arising suspicion. She could only hope and pray the Konoha shinobi as a whole would be able to keep everyone safe.

'_Please be safe, Koyuki-hime.'_ She silently prayed.

* * *

**With Team 7**

"My team and I have discussed the issue, and we have agreed to continue on with the mission." Kakashi informed those in front of him with is trademark eye smile, whilst the lone Uchiha smirked arrogantly from behind the masked jonin.

Asama, Koyuki, Naruto, and Sakura all silently and subtly exchanged looks between one another. Knowing for a fact there was no discussion between the entire team. Simply because through out the night, and into the morning hours, Naruto had sat up with the princess. Pouring over the script and discussing what changes could be made to enhance the story further. Sakura along side them, also adding her own tidbits as needed, or conversing with Koyuki when the blonde was editing the script.

Though Naruto had winked at Koyuki causing her to blush slightly, as if to tell her _'I told you so.'_

"I see." Asama finally spoke up. "That is good to hear. We should make landfall by this afternoon. After that, we will take a caravan along the southern pass in between the mountains to get to our destination, a small quaint village."

Upon hearing the travel plans, Naruto stepped forward and looked down at the map that was spread open on the table, clearly marking the path they would be taking. Though something didn't sit well with the blonde hanyou, and he knew exactly what it was.

"Here." He stated, catching everyone's attention as he pointed to the pass in question that passed right between the two large mountain ranges. "This area is where we will most likely be attacked."

"And how do you know that, dobe?" The Uchiha questioned.

"I agree Naruto, how did you come to that conclusion?" Kakashi inquired, looking towards the blonde genin.

"Simple, right here is the prime place for an ambush." Naruto explained. "Being on the low terrain, we will be at a disadvantage in terms of visibility, while they would have a clear advantage due to their positions on the higher ground, giving them a clear view over the field."

The silver haired jonin frowned at the explanation. Though he couldn't fault the logic. If the snow shinobi were to attack them again, it would be the perfect place to launch an ambush. Not to mention with the layout, it would be fairly easy to box the caravan in and to pick them off at their leisure. Of course, that led to another question the masked jonin had. Why were the snow shinobi after Koyuki? There had to be a bigger reason then just her being the missing princess. Mentally shaking away his questions for the time being, he looked to his genin team.

"Sasuke, you will be watching over the princess today, try to make a good impression." Kakashi stated with another eye smile towards the raven haired teen, before turning his attention to the other two. "Sakura, you will be guarding Asama-san and the film crew. Naruto, I want you to keep a look out for any threats."

'_**It really seems that Taida-sensei is trying to keep Naruto-kun and Koyuki-hime apart.'**_ Inner Sakura commented, earning a mental nod.

'_Pretty sure it's because the Uchiha-teme has shown interest in her, now that he knows she is a princess.'_

'_**No doubt.'**_ Inner replied with a growl. _**'Though with his **__**social**__** skill**__**s**__** in talking with women, this is a disaster just waiting to happen.'**_

"I will be retiring to my room for the rest of the afternoon." Koyuki stated, before looking to the producer. "And I will not be doing any shoots today."

"Of course Koyuki-hime." Asama replied with a slight bow of respect.

Pushing up from the table, the wayward princess made her way out of the room, while the others separated to do what they were instructed to do. Only to frown as the Uchiha quickly fell into step behind her at an uncomfortable close distance for her liking. Reaching her assigned cabin on board the ship, she paused at the door before turning to face the Uchiha, seeing that he fully intended to follow her into her bedroom.

"I have no need for you inside my quarters, Uchiha-san." She briskly stated, causing the Uchiha to scoff.

"You say that now, but here soon you will be begging me to come to bed with you." Sasuke smirked, ignoring the scowl that grew on the princesses fast. "After all, only I will be able to give you a strong heir for your throne."

"Before you thought I was a stuck up, spoiled little bitch." Koyuki narrowed her eyes towards the Uchiha. "But now that you know my true identity, you think I am just going to invite you into my bed."

"You would be a fool not to." The raven haired teen cockily replied. "I am the last of the mighty Uchiha clan, you should feel honored to bare my children."

"If I were to invite anyone into my bed for the sake of siring an heir for my throne, I would take Naruto-kun before anyone else." The young princess stated, though unsure why she singled out the blonde genin over everyone else.

"And what does that dobe have that I don't?" The Uchiha demanded, infuriated that yet another woman would chose the blonde loser over him.

"Let's see, he's strong, intelligent, and above all, compassionate." Koyuki listed off the top three qualities the blonde hanyou possessed. "Now, I have no need of you."

Not giving the brooding Uchiha a chance to respond, she disappeared into her room and roughly shut the door behind her, letting out a huff of frustration and mentally cursing the masked jonin for assigning the egotistical emo as her personal guard. Why couldn't Naruto have been instructed to guard her. She found his presence much more enjoyable, not to mention they could talk about a number of things as the blonde made himself very approachable, no matter the topic.

Meanwhile Sasuke glared at the door, once again having his pride bruised from the princesses rejection to his advances. Scoffing he turned and left the doorway, putting his hands in his pockets as he stalked away. Grumbling about how the blonde dobe was ruining everything for him, as he slowly made his way to the deck of the ship, where he could see Kakashi and Naruto near the massive mast of the ship, talking about something, only coming in to the tail end of the conversation.

"That taijutsu style you used yesterday, who taught you?" The masked jonin inquired, looking to the blonde genin. "It's not a style I have ever seen before."

Naruto looked to the silver haired jonin for a few seconds, not sensing any negativity from the man, surprisingly. It seemed Kakashi was genuinely curious.

"Actually, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto began. "I created it myself."

"Can anyone learn it?"

"Yes, and no." The blonde answered honestly. "This style requires years of body conditioning. While it is feasible for someone to learn it, they wouldn't be proficient in it until years later."

"As if you could create your own style, you probably copied it from someone else." Sasuke spoke up, catching the twos attention. Naruto only shaking his head, while Kakashi sighed at his favored student.

"You are suppose to be guarding Koyuki-san." The masked jonin chastised the raven haired teen, though earning a cocked eye brow from the blonde next to him.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted with a shrug. "She refuses to allow me to enter her room."

'_Meaning he probably tried to flaunt his Uchiha arrogance on her.'_ Naruto thought to himself, earning a chuckle from the kitsune girl.

Kakashi only sighed and shook his head, not saying another word about it. _'She probably rejected him right away. I told him not to rush anything with her and to make a good impression.'_

"And whats so special about your taijutsu style anyways?" The Uchiha asked, clearly not impressed by it. "If a dobe like you can do it, it can't be that effective. At least not in your hands. But a true elite like me, could no doubt make it better."

"What's so special about it?" Naruto grinned. "Is that even if you copy it with your precious little pink eye, it would be useless to you."

"You dare insult the power of the Sharingan?" Sasuke demanded.

"Kick it." Naruto suddenly said, catching the Uchiha off guard while gesturing towards the mast.

"What?"

"Kick it, as hard as you can." The blonde instructed, much to the confusion of the raven haired teen and even Kakashi, who was wondering what Naruto was planning.

"What use would it be to kick the post?" Kakashi asked.

"Fine, if the vaunted Uchiha is too scared to do it, I'll do it first." Naruto shrugged before taking a stance, bringing his leg back and swinging it forth. Driving his shin into the large wooden mast, causing the deck in the immediate surrounding area to shake and groan under the power of the strike.

What surprised the two Sharingan users further, was that Naruto made no reaction upon the impact. Almost as if he didn't feel it. Not wanting to be outdone, Sasuke copied the strike. However, when his leg made contact with the massive chunk of wood, he let out a cry of pain and fell to the deck, holding his shin. All while looking up at his blonde team mate.

"That is why it is useless to you." Naruto explained. "As I told Kakashi-sensei, this style requires years of body conditioning before you can even begin to be proficient in it."

"And how many years did it take you?" The silver haired jonin asked.

"I started creating it when I was six years old." He replied with a shrug.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock at the implications of what the blonde was saying. If it was true, Naruto could very well be a protege. It also made the masked jonin wonder what else the blonde genin knew that he had yet to display. He really needed to get an updated dossier on Naruto as soon as he got back to the village.

"If you had this technique the entire time, why didn't you ever use it in the academy, dobe?" The Uchiha asked as he struggled to stand, trying not to put any weight on his bruised leg.

"Look underneath the underneath, isn't that right, Kakashi-sensei?"

However, before the trio could converse any longer, a black puff of smoke erupted just in front of Naruto, putting both Sharingan users on edge as they took defensive positions, albeit Sasuke still favoring one leg. Though Naruto simply knelt down in front of the now clearing smoke, which revealed a slender, light blue snake with golden eyes.

"Hey Nagni-chan, how are you doing?" Naruto greeted the new arrival as he extended his arm to allow the snake to crawl up and into his jacket. Knowing full well that his current location wasn't exactly ideal for his slender friends.

"I've been doing good, Naruto-ssssama." The snake hissed from inside the blondes jacket. "Though we do wissh you would sssummon uss more often."

"Sorry Nagni-chan, I will try and use my summons more often in the future." The blonde smiled to his summon. "So what brings you here?"

"Mistresss Anko wished to inform you that you have a new guest ssstaying with you." The blue snake answered.

"I see, thank you for letting me know Nagni-chan. You should head back to your realm and warm up."

"Thank you, Naruto-sssama." The snake hissed once more before disappearing into another cloud of smoke.

"Naruto, you have a summoning contract?" Kakashi asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"That, was my snake summon." The blonde replied. "Anko-chan allowed me to sign it just after I graduated as a reward."

'_**That wasn't the only reward you got that night either.'**_ Ahri added with a mischievous grin as she replayed the memory of the night he graduated. Causing the poor blonde to blush slightly.

Though Naruto quickly shook it off as he began to ponder just who was now staying at his compound with his girls. He knew Yakumo was there and wondered briefly if Kurenai had moved in temporarily to reconnect with her student, though he quickly dismissed that theory. Anko wouldn't have sent a snake summon for just that. Mentally shrugging, he decided he would find out when he finally arrived at home.

"How do you have a summoning contract, dobe?" Sasuke demanded.

"Very easily. My Hebi-hime allowed me to sign hers and I passed their test." The blonde grinned. "Anyways, I believe I should be keeping a look out for any potential threats. So, if you'll excuse me."

Having nothing left to say, Naruto left the two Sharingan users to their thoughts. Kakashi was once again surprised at what the young blonde had displayed, and the fact that at such a young age, he was able to gain a summoning contract. Meanwhile, Sasuke was seething with jealously that the blonde loser had abilities that should be his, not wasted on some talent-less loser.

'_Just how much are you hiding, Naruto?'_ Kakashi thought to himself before turning to Sasuke. "You should probably put ice on your leg to prevent it from bruising further."

* * *

**Konoha, A Few Hours Earlier**

Izumi was bored.

With her target out of the village for an extended period of time, and as most of the girls her target was with were active shinobi, she couldn't really follow them around. Leaving the ROOT member with very little to do until Naruto returned to the village. Though there was one, the civilian girl who helped run the ramen stand her target would frequent. While she had no intention to harm the young ramen waitress, she did figure she could at least get some additional information on Naruto.

She knew she should have reported her mission a failure after Naruto had made her out in the theater, but she had taken the blondes advice and continued on and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Unconsciously, she gazed at her left hand. The same had that Naruto had grabbed hold of to prevent her from fleeing when the usher had asked for their tickets, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she recalled the memory.

'_I am just looking to get more information on Naruto-san.'_ Izumi mentally told herself as she made her way towards the ramen stand. Unaware of the two groups that were tailing her from a distance.

For the past few days, the fallen Uchiha woman would occasionally find herself watching over the girls Naruto was involved with from a distance. Namely Yugao and Anko. Watching as they would laugh and joke around with one another, and of course their main topic of discussion would be about Naruto, causing a pang of loneliness to wash over her. Though what she found most amusing is how the two would humiliate another individual, Hayate Gekko. A man who seemed to have an obsession with Yugao, from what Izumi could determine.

Within a few minutes, she found herself in front of Ichiraku's Ramen stand. Taking a deep breath, she entered the stand and took a stool at the counter. She didn't have long to wait as Ayame bounded out from the kitchen to greet her.

"Welcome to Ichiraku's, what would you like miss?"

Izumi frowned slightly, a little embarrassed as her social interaction had been severely limited since she had joined ROOT. Only going to places operated by those with ROOT connections, and their meals were always the same. So this was the first time that she actually had to order something herself in years.

"Forgive me for asking, but what does Naruto-san normally order?" The Uchiha woman asked, though not missing the suspicious look from the ramen waitress.

"Well, I honestly don't think you could stomach what Naruto-kun orders." Ayame answered. "So far, he is the only one currently can handle it."

"I see." Izumi frowned.

"So you know Naruto-kun?"

"We met briefly and he highly recommended this place." The Uchiha woman replied with half a lie. In truth, Naruto had never recommended the ramen stand, she had just observed him coming here frequently to eat.

"I see." The brown haired waitress smiled. "Well, if your interested in trying some of Naruto-kun's favorites, how about what he use to have all the time?"

"That sounds pleasant, thank you."

With the order received, Ayame disappeared back into the kitchen to relay the order to her father, whom was currently tending to the cooking and dishes. While Izumi sat awkwardly on the stool, awaiting her order. She could recount the few times she had observed Yugao and Anko sitting in these exact spots, laughing and conversing with one another, but she had no one. Causing another pang of loneliness.

After a few more minutes, Ayame had returned and placed a moderate sized bowl in front of her, full of miso ramen with a mixture of pork, beef, and chicken. At the scent of it, Izumi's could do nothing to prevent her stomach from growling in anticipation of the dish. Giving her thanks, Izumi slowly began to dig in to the bowl, allowing the flavor to explode in her mouth.

"Naruto-kun use to love that dish before he found his new favorite." The ramen waitress giggled, making small talk with the woman.

"I see." Izumi replied. "So what can you tell me about Naruto-san, what kind of person is he?"

"Oh, are you interested in Naruto-kun?" The waitress teased, earning a slight blush from the Uchiha girl. "Or, is it for your task given to you by that old fossil?"

This caused the Uchiha woman to freeze, mid bite of her food. Slowly casting her eyes towards the brown haired ramen waitress, whom was sporting a knowing grin on her face while she struggled to contain the giggle that threatened to escape from her lips.

"You look surprised." Ayame commented with a giggle that escaped her lips. "You really shouldn't be, Naruto-kun tells us everything. So of course we knew you've been tailing him, and we also know all about that old war hawks obsession with turning Naruto-kun into his personal weapon."

For her part, Izumi was unsure of what to do. She hadn't expected the girls Naruto was involved with to be aware of her assignment to tail the blonde, as they never showed any signs of knowing who she was or what she was doing. Though, she supposed it did make sense, with how close he appeared with all of them. She had observed that much during her encounter with him at the movie theater.

"Relax, if Naruto-kun deemed you a threat to him or us, you wouldn't be here right now." The ramen waitress said, breaking the woman out of her thoughts. "As for your mission, afraid there is not much I can tell you that you don't already know. Unless you want some more, private information, for that; you would have to ask Anko-chan."

The implications caused the poor Uchiha girl to blush, completely missing the second figure that entered the ramen stand, until an arm drapped over her shoulders, snapping Izumi out of her thoughts, only to see a grinning snake mistress in the form of one Anko Mitarashi.

"Was wondering when you were going to finally stop in." Anko stated as she took a stool next to the ROOT member. "The usual, Ayame-chan."

"Coming right up!" The ramen waitress exclaimed before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Before Izumi could reply to the snake mistress, another body took the seat on the other sided of her. Looking to her right, she could see the purple haired ANBU woman, Yugao. Feeling trapped, the young Uchiha woman quickly finished her ramen and went to leave the payment for it so she could leave, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist. Looking to the offending hand, she saw the person who it belonged to simply smile at her.

"You should stay and chat." Yugao offered, removing her hand from the girls wrist, earning a nod of agreement from the snake mistress.

"I…. very well." Izumi conceded, seeing no way out of this.

And so, over the next hour the four women conversed with one another. At first, Izumi had kept quiet and only spoke when one of the girls would bring her into the conversation, but as time passed she found herself opening up more and more. Gone was the earlier tension Izumi felt earlier, instead replaced by a sense of companionship. By the time she was ready to leave, she had done something she hadn't honestly done in nearly a decade. She laughed. A true, heartfelt laugh.

Parting ways with the two women, Izumi made her way towards one of the many Root safe houses on the outskirts of the village. While she couldn't say she got any useful information to report on, she did get a handful of embarrassing tales about her target, making her giggle slightly as she recalled the stories both Anko and Yugao had shared with her. As she neared the safe house, she shook the thoughts from her mind and took on a stoic expression before stopping in her tracks, just as twelve blank masked ANBU surrounded her on all sides.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded.

"Izumi Uchiha, you have been found guilty of treason against Danzo-sama." The leader of the group spoke up with an emotionless voice.

"Under what grounds?" Izumi demanded, settling into a defensive stance.

"Dining at a non-Root affiliated establishment, conversing with non-Root affiliated personal, and failing in your mission assigned to you."

"I have already reported that Naruto-san is out of the village on a mission, effectively halting my own mission until he returns." The Uchiha woman argued, though not relaxing from her stance. "As for the rest, I was gathering further information."

"Regardless, you have shown disloyalty to Danzo-sama and his cause," The leader spoke once more, drawing his tanto. "And for that, you must be removed."

"Bring it." Izumi challenged, pulling out a pair of kunai.

Not waiting for them to attack, the Uchiha woman charged the leader of the group and made a diagonal slash along his chest, before spinning to block an attack coming from behind her, while delivering a strong kick to her first target to knock him away.

Parrying the attack away, Izumi jammed her kunai into her attackers throat before using a kawarimi to replace herself with another one of the Root ANBU that surrounded her, allowing him to take the attack meant for her as she jumped back to avoid another strike, that barely just missed her, leaving a small scratch on her arm, causing her to wince slightly in pain. However, she didn't have time to dwell on her pain, as she quickly rolled out of the path of a volley of kunai aimed straight towards her, though one had managed to strike her in her right calf. Severely limiting her movement.

Favoring her injured leg, Izumi stood defiantly against the ten remaining Root ANBU. Going through a series of hand seals before launching a fireball towards the group, though catching none as they quickly evaded the attack and descended upon her. Delivering a brutal kick to her chest, sending her back into a tree, causing her to cough up a small amount of blood and spit before her body crumbled to the ground.

The Root ANBU did not let up, as the ten remaining members sent another wave of kunai towards their target, this time hitting their mark, striking deep into her body, though fortunately she had managed to cover her vital areas. Wincing in pain that racked her body, she could only look up to see the leader of the group slowly approaching her as her eyesight began to dim.

"This ends now." The leader spoke as he approached the now vulnerable Uchiha woman, bringing his tanto into a striking position.

'_I just wish I could have spoken to Naruto-kun one last time.'_ She thought as she closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

However, the strike never came. Weakly cracking her eyes open, she saw none other the Anko and Yugao taking out the remaining Root ANBU, with the snake mistress using her snakes and kunai to dispatch her opponents, while the queen of blades cut hers down with quick and precise slashes. Within minutes, the two kunoichi had dispatched the Root ANBU. The last thing the young Uchiha woman saw before darkness claim her, was the two women approaching her.

"Anko-chan, take her to the compound. Haku-chan should be able to address her wounds." Yugao instructed the snake mistress, whom quickly moved over to pick up the bleeding Uchiha girl. "I'll clean up here."

Nodding, the snake mistress disappeared in a swirl of leaves as she shunshined to the Uzumaki compound to get the girl in her arms treated for her wounds.

**One Hour Later**

Cracking her eyes open, the first thing Izumi noticed was that she was laying on a soft bed, instead of the ground she had blacked out on. Gingerly lifting her arm, she found her woulds were dressed and cleaned, making her wonder who had treated her. The last thing she remembered was the two women from the ramen stand coming to her aid.

"You're awake I see." A voice sounded from the doorway, prompting the injured Uchiha to glance over a the new arrival, seeing a young woman with black hair standing at the door way with a tray of what appeared to be food. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." Was the Uchiha girls blunt response as she laid her arm back down, though her answer had earned her a small giggle from the young woman.

"That is to be expected." The black haired beauty replied as she knelt down next to the bed. Placing the tray of food on the stand next to the bed. "While not life threatening, your wounds were severe."

"Thank you for treating me…."

"Forgive me, my name is Haku, Haku Momochi, soon to be Uzumaki." The young woman smiled. "And you are?"

"Izumi, Izumi Uchiha."

"A pleasure to meet you." Haku smiled as she helped her patient sit up comfortable in the bed so she could eat. Izumi groaned in pain, but was able to position herself, despite her body's protest.

"Thank you." The Uchiha gave a soft smile as she accepted the food tray. "So what happens now?"

"For now, you stay with us." Yugao answered from the door, catching both girls attention. "I highly doubt you will be welcomed back into Root as of now. Anko-chan has already sent a summon to Naruto-kun to inform him of your stay here."

Izumi frowned at that. Not that she wouldn't be welcomed back, the attack on her was proof of that already. It was how the swords mistress spoke of her now former affiliation so casually.

"I thank you both for rescuing me." Izumi said, turning to back to her food, though not touching it just yet. "Did you follow me?"

"Actually after you left, we noticed the two groups following you, so we tailed them." The swords mistress replied, stepping fully into the room.

"I see, thank you once more."

"When Naruto-kun gets back, he will take a look at those seals on the back of your neck and probably have them removed. Shouldn't be too hard, it looks like they were incomplete the last time they were reapplied."

Izumi narrowed her eyes at this information. Danzo had denied having any seals placed upon her, stating that her promise to serve him was all he needed. In exchange, he would help her track down Itachi. Something she had come to learn he had neglected to do, stating one reason or another. However, what troubled her was when the seals were placed upon her, and why were they incomplete. Worse yet, what would have happened if they were complete?

"After all, he did the same for Yakumo-san." Yugao continued, causing the Uchiha woman's eyes to widen.

"Yakumo-san is here?" She asked, concern laced in her voice.

"Yes, Naruto-kun was able to get to her before that old war hawk could finish the seals placed upon her. Is there a problem with her being here?"

"No." Izumi replied softly, looking down at her food. "But there may be a problem with me being here."

"Why is that, Izumi-san?" Haku inquired.

"I-I was the one who henged as Kurenai-san to isolate Yakumo away from everyone for Danzo-sam…. Danzo's purpose." She admitted with shame of her past actions.

Silence emanated through the room, before Yugao walked over and knelt next to the bed. Placing a comforting hand on the former Root's shoulder.

"I am well aware of how Root operates, and I am positive that during that time, you were acting under the seals influence." Yugao reassured the young Uchiha. "As I said, only the current application of the seal looks unfinished. I do not doubt you had a complete seal at some point."

"Besides, everyone under this roof is to be treated as family." Haku smiled.

'_Family?' _A long forgotten concept for the Uchiha woman. A simple concept that brought tears of joy to her eyes, despite her fighting them.

"I….. thank you." She smiled.

* * *

**Yuki no Kuni, Present Time**

Kakashi groaned as he listened to the princess protest to his assigning Sasuke to watch over her. It seemed that the last Uchiha had been a bit too overzealous in his flirting with the young actress that she refused to have him anywhere near her. Forcing him to assign Sasuke to watch the film crew and have Sakura watch over the princess, and keep Naruto on look out. This seemed to calm the princess down, though seemed to upset Sasuke. Though it was clear to the masked jonin that Koyuki had wanted Naruto to be assigned to her. For what reason, he didn't know, but he could see a slight disappointment in her eyes when he assigned the pink haired genin to her.

Shrugging off the memories of the last hour of the ship ride, the silver haired man watched as the crew began to load their crates and supplies onto the strange looking vehicles he had never seen before. It appeared to be a horseless carriages, that moved on their own. Trucks, he was told they were called. A strange name he thought, but shrugged it off as he entered the one that everyone was in.

Soon, all the cargo was securely packed into the various of trucks, and the convoy began to slowly creep through the snow cover roads. If his team of genin were in shock to see the vehicles in action, they didn't show it. Sasuke was brooding over in the corner, completely ignoring the film crew he was suppose to be watching out for, whilst Sakura and Naruto watched as the snow flew by. Koyuki wasn't far from the two lovers, scanning over the script for the movie they were about to start officially filming.

"I am going to head up top." Naruto announced as he opened the window and swung outwards, landing with a soft thud on the top of the truck they were in.

Sakura only shook her head in response and close the window to prevent the heat from escaping. Knowing full well her mate would be alright. Smirking a little, she approached the distracted actress, and sat across from her.

"Excited to start officially filming?"

"I am." Koyuki smiled. "And I am glad it is a movie I can be passionate about again."

"Soo, who do you think will play the male lead?" The pinkette questioned, knowing full well they had yet to cast a male lead to play opposite of the demon queen that Koyuki was poised to portray on the big screen.

"Honestly, I don't know." The young actress frowned. "Our usual actor declined to be in the movie, though I don't blame him. He absolutely hated that smut as was appalled that I had been forced into it."

"Well, how about Naruto-kun?" She grinned, catching the blush that grew on the princesses cheeks.

"I-I don't know." She stammered, much to the amusement of the pinkette. "I mean, I wouldn't mind and…."

"You like him, don't you?" Sakura giggled.

"I-…. yes." Koyuki blushed, using the script to cover her face in a bashful manner. Unable to deny that she found the young blonde attractive. Not simply in looks, but also his compassion and intelligence as well.

"Then why not ask him to do it?" The pink haired kunoichi inquired.

"I suppose, but what about you?" She asked, looking to the pink haired teen. "Aren't you and him…."

"Oh that?" Sakura giggled as she leaned in close to Koyuki's ear and whispered. "I don't mind sharing."

This caused the poor princess to severely blush, bringing the script up once more to cover her face. This of course caused Sakura to chuckle lightly, though not too loudly, not wanting to attract any attention from the two Sharingan users.

'_Perhaps he would be the perfect choice to play the male lead.'_ Koyuki thought to herself as she continued to cover her face with the script, waiting for her blush to fade away. _'After all, he did say the hero was based off of his own experiences.'_

However, before the two girls could continue their conversation, the truck came to a halt. Prompting those inside to wonder why they had stopped. They silent question was answered as Naruto opened the door.

"Avalanche blocked the path ahead, going to take some time to dig through." He informed those inside.

"Alright, might as well stretch our legs while we can." Kakashi commented as he ushered the rest of his team out of the vehicle.

Nearly an hour had passed since the trucks were forced to stop, with many of the workers grumbling about the cold conditions. Though they couldn't complain too much as Asama had pitched into help dig out the path way. The only one who was unable to pitch in, was Koyuki herself. Not that she didn't try, but none of the workers would allow her to help. As such, she had stayed in the truck, reading the script to memorize her lines.

Of course, this did not sit well with the Uchiha, as he had started to rant and rave about how such peasant work was beneath him once again. Shouting out his frustration, ignoring countless warnings to keep his voice down, unless he wanted to unleash another avalanche upon them. However, he merely scoffed at the warnings, and continued his rant. It wasn't until a distant rumbling sound that the Uchiha shut his mouth.

Without warning, a tidal wave of snow crashed over the center of the convoy, causing alarm among the workers and film crew, as the truck that Koyuki had resided in was swept down the mountain under the torrent of snow.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed as he threw down the shovel he had to the ground, and to the surprise of those around him, dove into the shadows, disappearing without a trace.

"Salvage what supplies you can, and pack them in to the remaining trucks!" Asama ordered, after the avalanche had calmed down. Fortunately, they didn't lose too many trucks, but the middle aged man was still concerned over the safety of the princess.

"Congratulations Sasuke," Sakura spoke up. "Your arrogance may have finally killed our client."

The pinkette didn't wait for a reply, as she moved forward to help gather what supplies could be found that was no scattered across the hillside. Meanwhile, Kakashi was equally disappointed in the raven haired genin. Sasuke had be warned countless times that such loud noises could trigger another avalanche, and he had ignored those warnings.

'_This is not going to look good on the report.' _Kakashi lamented. _'I can only hope Naruto is able to find her, and that she is safe.'_

* * *

**With Naruto**

The blonde hanyou had quickly found the princess, homing in on the seal he had placed on her a few days ago. When he arrived, he found her buried under the snow and unconcious, no doubt from being knocked around the inside of the truck. A small amount of blood coming from a would on her head. He quickly assessed her injuries, and was relieved to find them non-life threatening. Gently, he picked her up in a bridal style fashion and proceeded to make his way out of the crumpled truck. It was a sheer miracle that she only suffered minor injuries, considering the condition the truck was in.

Knowing that the sun would be setting soon, Naruto knew he had to set up camp and get her out of her wet clothing before hypothermia set in. Taking a quick glance around, he spotted a cave not far off. Wasting no time, he quickly moved towards the cave opening, and was pleased to see it offered plenty of shelter from the elements. Gently, he set Koyuki down, and proceeded to create a dozen of shadow clones.

"Alright, we need to set up camp and get a fire going now!" Naruto began barking out orders. "You two, get fire wood and get a fire going, And you two, take this ninja wire and set up a line to hang her cloths on to dry. The rest of you are to be on watch to ensure no hostiles comes close."

"Hai!" The clones responded and set to work completing the tasks given to them.

Meanwhile, Naruto removed his jacket and rummaged through his scrolls. Finding the ones he was looking for, he quickly unsealed a tent and sleeping bag. And instructed a few more clones to set them up as he began the embarrassing task of undressing the unconcious princess. As soon as she was nude, he moved her into the now set up tent and wrapped her up in the sleeping bag before quickly proceeding to remove his own clothing, knowing he would have to use his own body heat to keep her warm.

Once he was also nude, he took care to apply a special seal to his own body, to prevent anything for suddenly popping up before he entered the tent and closed it behind him, and finally slipping into the sleeping bag. Wrapping his arms around her frigid body.

'_This is going to be awkward when we wake up tomorrow.'_ He thought to himself, with Ahri snickering a little in the back of his mind.

Before long, the blonde hanyou succumbed to sleep, just as the crackling of a freshly started fire began to sound just outside the tent. Signifying that his clones and succeeded in starting the campfire. With any luck, they would keep the fire going all night, and Koyuki's cloths would be dry. Otherwise, he was sure Sakura would give him a hard time if Koyuki and him arrived with the princess wearing his cloths and jacket.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap!

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Yes, the seal Naruto placed upon himself was to prevent him from getting aroused. Also, we had Sakura teasing the poor princess about casting Naruto in the movie. Not to mention, Izumis is now officially out of Root, and we saw why she still had a bit of her personality in the form of an incomplete seal. Not to mention, she revealed that she was the one impersonating Kurenai months ago. How will Yakumo react?

Next chapter is set to finish up the Land of Snow arc.

With that said, feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews, or send me a private message!


	24. Chapter 24

**Authors Notes:** All aboard! Next stop, Chapter 24!

First and foremost, I hope that everyone is staying safe during this pandemic and taking the proper steps to keep yourselves and your families and loved ones healthy.

Anyways, as some of you may have noticed, I have closed the poll. Reason being is that _**Imperial-samaB**_ had given me a great alternative on how to handle Sasuke during the finals. What will that be you ask? You'll find out soon enough, but rest assured, it will humiliate our little duck ass emo king in front of the entirety of Konoha and beyond.

So, in the last chapter we saw Sasuke attempt to flaunt his Uchiha superiority and have it fail spectacularly, Sakura hinted to Koyuki to cast Naruto in her movie as well as hint at other things, causing our poor princess to blush at the implications. Izumi is now residing in the Uzumaki compound, after being attacked by other Root ANBU's, only to be saved by Anko and Yugao. And lastly, Sasuke's ranting caused an avalanche that swept the princess away. Now her and Naruto are cuddled together in the nude in a sleeping bag.

Going to be interesting when she wakes up, that's for sure.

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**CrimsonStarBlade –**_ Sadly, Fubuki will not have the chance to sabotage his Chakra Armor. And no, Sasuke is too full of himself to realize he is at fault for anything.

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark –**_ Rest assured, there is going to be some tension between Yakumo and Izumi in the next few chapters, as well as with Kurenai. But, this probably won't happen until Naruto returns so he can play the mediator between the three, to prevent things from escalating.

_**UnsanMusho – **_Kakashi isn't going to have a choice but to be honest in his report, due to too many witnesses, and the victim of the Uchiha's arrogance herself, is none other then the princess and future ruler over the country.

_**Re Lovely Lover –**_ I kind of figured it would fit perfectly with Danzo's paranoia and his ROOT's inability to think for themselves. He had said at the slightest sign of disloyalty, to remove her. And thus, when they saw her dining at a non-sanctioned establishment and conversing with non-Root affiliates, it was seen as betrayal, based on their orders.

_**BoredKing – **_This will be addressed in this chapter. So there is a reason Naruto didn't just use his Shadow Step ability to get them back to the others.

_**XLR8wuzhere –**_ Naruto will still learn Sage Mode in this story, just not from the Toads, for obvious reason. But he will have a Snake Sage Mode. Though that won't happen until later on in the story.

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

Small heads up, there is a very, very subtle Easter Egg in this chapter. How many of you can find it? I'll give you a hint, it's from a movie.

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 24

"_If you look closely, you can see the future." A gentle and deep voice echoed in the darkness as a young girl, no older then six, with dark blue hair stared into the mirror in front of her. Attempting to look into it at different angles. Frowning slightly, as she couldn't see anything other then her own reflection staring back at her._

"_I can't see anything." She finally replied, disheartened._

"_Of course you can." The voice encouraged the young girl, prompting her to look in his direction, revealing a large man with glasses and a slightly receding hairline. A gentle smile on his face. "When the spring comes, you will."_

"_The spring?" She questioned, looking inquisitively at her father. "What is spring?"_

_It may have seemed like an odd question for the young girl to ask, but all she had known through her short six years of life had been cold weather and endless snow. Hence the lands name, Yuki no Kuni. Her father could see her confusion and chuckled softly at it, earning himself a small pout from the girl._

"_That's right, you've never experienced Spring, have you Koyuki." It was more of an observation then a question. Receiving a saddened shake of her head, answering the rhetorical question._

"_Koyuki." The man smiled, catching the young girls attention. "Close your eyes."_

_Frowning slightly, the young Koyuki did as she was instructed and closed her eyes._

"_Now, try to imagine yourself surrounded by flowers."_

_Her expression lightened a little as she focused her imagination to bring forth a field of flowers within in her mind. A small smile coming to her face as she had filled it with some of her favorite flowers. Orchids, tulips, and various other wild flowers she had seen in books and in some of the market stalls being sold in the nearby town._

"_There now, isn't that beautiful." Her father commented, seeing on her face that she was picturing a field full of flowers. "Now, run through it as fast as you can."_

_Smiling, she spread her arms out as she imagined herself running through the field of flowers. She could just almost feel the petals touching her hands and tickling her legs as she ran through the field within her own imagination._

"_It makes you feel all warm, and happy." Her father smiled. "Doesn't it."_

"_Mmm hmm." She smiled, feeling a sense of warmth around her._

"_That is spring." Her father smiled, snapping her out of her imaginary run through the flower field, causing her to look to her father. "And if you never give up, if you believe the future, then spring is sure to come."_

"_Believe in the future, if you do, the spring will surely come." He repeated as he stood up from where he was kneeling and walked over to where she stood, placing his hands on her shoulders. "What will you do when it comes, Koyuki?"_

_The young Koyuki adopted a thinking pose before smiling and looking up to her father. _

"_I'm going to become, a princess." She smiled._

"_Oh?" Her father smiled down at her. "What sort of princess?"_

"_Mmm, let's see." She adopted another thinking pose. "One that is strong, and kind, and most of all, fights for justice!"_

_This earned her a belly full of laughter from her father, causing her to smile._

"_That's some dream." He laughed, ruffling her her slightly, causing her to pout and quickly work to organize her hair once more. "Well, so long as you believe in your dream, and never give up. One day, you will be that princess."_

_Saying this, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful necklace with a simple hexagonal crystal hanging from it and secured it around her neck._

"_You can see it, can't you?" He continued as he placed his hands back on her shoulder, prompting her to look into the mirror once more. There is a beautiful princess standing right there in front of you."_

"_But, I have sort of a problem." The young Koyuki spoke, looking up at her father. "There is something else I want to be."_

"_Really, what's that?" He asked._

"_An Actress!" She proudly exclaimed with joy._

_Her father could only laugh in response. Knowing full well his daughter would be anything she set her mind to, so long as she believed in her dreams._

Slowly, Koyuki began to open her eyes. Noticing she had tears streaming down her face from the memory she had just dreamed. Unconsciously, she snuggled into the object of warmth that was in front of her, breathing in his scent before feeling an embrace tighten around her firmly in a comforting manner, causing her eyes to shoot open.

"Finally awake, Koyuki-hime?" The other figure inquired.

It was at this moment that the princess realized two very important things. The first and foremost, was that the young blonde before her had an extremely captivating body, with well defined muscles that would no doubt make some of her past male co-stars envious of the young blonde. The second thing was that neither of them had any cloths on, giving her a good look at his body up close, causing her to blush at the situation she was in. Though she she craned her neck upwards to look at his face, she noticed something that made her smile slightly.

The young blonde had placed his hitae-ate over his eyes, preventing him from seeing anything what so ever. While it was a small gesture, it was endearing to her to see that he had respected her enough not to ogle her body, despite their unique situation. Though that did beg the question, how did they end up in this position with the blonde?

However, before she could voice her question, he rolled away and moved to the entrance of the tent they were in, leaving her completely covered, though lacking in warmth due his sudden absense from the sleeping bag, causing her to frown slightly. Cracking the entry way open slightly, he poked his head out.

"Are our cloths dry?" She heard him ask someone outside, making her a little nervous that others may have saw her in such a state.

However, her fears were quickly dispelled as she heard his voice answer back to the blonde and hand a bundle of clothing to Naruto. Zipping up the tent again, Naruto placed the princesses cloths inside the sleeping bag with her.

"You were buried in an avalanche and knocked unconcious." He began to answer her unasked question. "Your clothes were soaked, due to the snow. I had to undress you and use my own body to keep you warm to prevent hypothermia from setting in."

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun." She replied from under the sleeping back. Blushing like crazy at the realization that she had been naked the entire time with an equally naked Naruto. However, she was broken out of her thoughts when she heard the tent open up once more. Taking a peek out of the sleeping bag, she saw the nude blonde exit the tent, giving her an eye full of his entire body. This of course caused her to blush even further.

'_He is….well endowed.'_ Was all she could think as she worked to calm her racing heart and begin to get dressed.

After a few moments had passed, Koyuki had exited the tent now completely dressed and was immediately greeted by the scent of freshly cooked eggs, ham, and some rice. Looking around, she finally found her blonde savior at the mouth of the cave they were inside, talking to one of his shadow clones. Receiving it's instructions, the clone quickly disappeared into the shadows, before the blonde turned to greet her.

"Breakfast is ready, and as you saw, I just sent one of my Shadow Clones to let the others know we are alright and should meet up with them later today." He smiled as he dished out a plat of breakfast and passed it towards the blue haired princess.

Offering a soft smile, she accepted the plate and sat down next to the camp fire and begun eating. Noting it's flavor and how could everything tasted.

"How did the avalanche start, Naruto-kun?" She asked after a few moments, earning a small frown from the blonde.

"While we were digging out the path, the Uchiha-teme kept ranting and complaining loudly about doing what he calls, servant's work. That is probably what caused the avalanche."

'_**Ironic that even Koyuki-hime had offered to help with no complaints, but the damn Uchiha acted like he was asked to work the mines or something.'**_ Ahri scoffed from inside the blondes mind.

'_Agreed.'_ Naruto mentally nodded. _'Though you know the Elder Council will only allow Ji-ji to lightly scold him, despite nearly killing our client.'_

This of course caused the kitsune girl to growl in disgust at how the elder council of the village would grovel at the Uchiha's feet and let him get away with damn near anything. Something she knew was going to bite them in the ass at some point down the road. At least after the whole CRA debacle, the boy had lost a bit of favor among the civilian side of the council.

"How did you find me, if I was buried in the snow?" She asked, looking to the blonde. "It couldn't had been that easy."

"Well, truth is." He sighed, putting his empty plate down. "I've have a mark on you that let's me know if you're in danger and where you are. That is how I was able to find you so quickly."

This revelation of course caused the princesses eyes to widen slightly.

"If you're wondering, I put it on you when we first met in that bar." He explained. "I knew you were going to run, so instead of being a jerk like Sasuke-teme, I simply prepared. Besides, even then I could feel something was off."

"But, I've changed cloths since then." She pointed out, frowning in confusion.

"True, but my mark bleeds through clothing and anchors itself to your skin." He stated. "Further more, it moves around to avoid detection, so any time you felt something like a bug bite, that was the mark moving to a new location."

"Well, that explains why I was itching yesterday." She frowned. However, she did recall one thing. The mark, never ventured into any obscene places. Every 'bite' she felt, was either along her back or shoulders.

"Anyways, once you are finished with breakfast, we will meet up with the others." He instructed as he stood up and set to work breaking down the camp site. Working quickly to get everything stored back into their respective storage scrolls.

By the time Koyuki had finished her meal, the entire campsite was completely cleaned up. Though despite the blondes offer, she had insisted on helping at least wash the dishes. Citing that she didn't want to appear as one of those spoiler princesses you would always read about in various articles and other stories. Chuckling, Naruto had relented and allowed her that.

"Ready, Koyuki-hime?" Naruto asked as he offered his hand towards the princess, whom gladly took it, unlike the first time he had offered it to her. "We'll be back with the others in the blink of an eye."

"Um." Koyuki blushed slightly, catching the blondes attention. "Could we perhaps, take the long way back?"

'_**I think she wants to spend some time alone with you.'**_ Ahri teased. _**'So **__**what's the tally now? You have **__**two**__** clan heirs with Hana-chan and Hinata-chan, an actual Kage with Mei-chan, and now an actual Princess.'**_

'_Perhaps she just wants to talk about the script in private.' _The blonde mentally offered, earning a slight scoff from the kitsune girl.

'_**Oh I can imagine.'**_ Ahri grinned. '_**She is going to want to add a hot, passionate, steamy sex scene between the Demon Queen and the hero, after of course, she asks you to be in the movie.'**_

'_And what makes you think she will ask me to be in the movie?'_

'_**She's been eyeing you all morning, and blushing at the same time.'**_ The kitsune pointed out. _**'So I fully expect her to ask you to play the Dante. Seeing as you already told her you based him off of yourself.'**_

'_We'll see.'_ Naruto mentally smirked before turning his attention back to the princess. Though if he was honest with himself, he knew the kitsune was right and was half expecting the princess turned actress to ask him to be in the film.

"As you wish." He smiled at her.

* * *

**Team 7**

Kakashi let out a long sigh as he leaned against the inside of one of the trucks that had survived the avalanche, his nose buried in his trademark orange book. Accompanying him was Asama and Sasuke, the former pacing around nervously as they awaited for the arrival of the blonde genin and the princess. While he didn't show it on the outside, the masked jonin was worried.

He had expected Naruto to be back last night, with the blondes ability to travel through shadows. However, it was late morning and there was still no sign of the two. A small part of his mind that was heavily influenced by the orange smut he constantly read had produced some scenarios as to why the two have not yet arrived. After all, trapped alone in the cold with only their body heat to keep them warm, it was the perfect scenario to be added in to the Icha Icha Paradise novels.

'_Perhaps when this is all done, I could suggest this to Jiraiya-sama.'_ He thought to himself, with a perverted giggle.

However, his perverted musing was interrupted as the door opened, revealing his pink haired student, whom had been outside helping to finish clearing what was left of the snow that had blocked the pass. Despite her boyfriend being missing for the past twelve hours, the pinkette seemed to be in a good mood. A ghost of a smile on her face.

"Naruto-kun and Koyuki-hime should be arriving some time this afternoon." She informed the group, earning a confused look from the masked Jonin.

"How do you know?" He inquired.

"I just spoke with one of his shadow clones." She explained as she fully entered the truck and closed the door behind her. "Naruto-kun and Koyuki-hime were forced to camp out last night due to the princess being unconcious when Naruto-kun found her."

"Well, that's a relief." Asama let out a sigh in relief that the princess was safe.

"Why didn't Naruto just use his shadow ability to get back here last night?" Kakashi questioned, having seen the blonde teen do it a handful of times. One of which was during the aftermath of the bridge battle, when Naruto had used the technique to take Sakura to the house to get some rest.

"Naruto-kun didn't want to risk causing any further injury. Even though he can use his Shadow Step ability flawlessly, he still doesn't know everything about it or if they're any side effects from taking an unconcious person through it." Sakura explained.

"But if she is awake, he could be able to use it now, correct?" The masked jonin inquired. "Why would it take him until later this afternoon to arrive with her?"

Sakura merely shrugged.

"Perhaps she is still disoriented from the avalanche or she simply doesn't want to rush back." The pinkette offered.

'_**Though with the urging you gave her, she probably wants to spend as much time alone with Naruto-kun.' **_Inner chuckled.

'_No doubt.'_ The pinkette mentally replied.

"I wish they would return quicker." Asama sighed but shrugged. "But at least I know she is safe."

"Looks like we have little choice but to wait until they return." Kakashi sighed.

Sasuke, for his part, had wisely kept his mouth shut throughout the entire conversation. Opting instead to silently brood in the corner. The previous night, Kakashi had made it abundantly clear that his little outburst had jeopardized the entire mission, and it would be a miracle if he would escape this without receiving some form of punishment. Be that from the Hokage, or the princess once this mission was complete.

"Anyways, I'm going to go train until they return." Sakura stated, leaving the truck once more.

"I suppose I should get things ready with the film crew." Asama said, departing the truck as well. Leaving the two Sharingan users alone.

Silence hung between the two for a handful of minutes before the masked jonin lowered his book and eyed his favored student.

"I suggest when she returns, you do everything within your power to impress her." Kakashi advised, knowing the Uchiha had his eyes set on the princess, and hoped they could make it work to get the raven haired boy to focus on other things, rather then pure revenge.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. "She should already be impressed with me being an Uchiha Elite."

"Regardless, give her a good impression. If you do, she may ask you to be in her movie." The masked jonin gave one of his eye smiles. "After all, they are suppose to start filming the start of the Icha Icha Paradise movie once we reach the village. I believe the first scene is in the hot springs."

Sasuke merely scoffed at the perverted masked jonin, though he wouldn't deny that he was a little bit enticed by the idea of seeing the princess completely nude for him. Not to mention knowing what kind of books the movie was from, he knew all to well what the scene would lead to. A small grin appearing on his face as he planned to make the princess his woman and show her what a true elite could do.

* * *

**Naruto and Koyuki**

It had been roughly an hour since the two had set off from their campsite, with Naruto carrying the princess on his back as he carried her through the snow. Not that the princess minded as she laid her head on the blondes back as he effortlessly bounded through the snow, and took in his scent. Getting a feeling of comfort and contentment from it.

"Naruto-kun?"

"What is it, Koyuki-hime?" he asked, craning his head slightly to look back at her slightly blushing face.

"I was wondering… hoping that you would consider playing the role of Dante in the movie." She asked softly, though loud enough he could still hear her.

"Why me?" He inquired with a teasing smile. "Surely now that you are out of that smut film, your usual male leads will sign on."

"Perhaps," Koyuki sighed, a little disheartened at the prospect that the blonde may turn down the offer. "It's just that, despite all the films I have done, I have never done a full romance scene, and I would like it to be with someone I trust."

At that, Naruto turned serious and nodded his head. Feeling the seriousness behind her request.

"Very well, I accept." He gave her a soft smile. "When we get back, I will write up a request scroll to send to Ji-ji to extend my and Sakura-chan's stay."

"Why request Sakura-san to stay?" She asked, trying not to sound as jealous as she felt.

"I don't fully trust the Uchiha-teme nor my supposed sensei not to try something if I am not around." The blonde replied while looking ahead.

"Has something happened before?" Koyuki asked with a slight frown.

"A few weeks ago, we had a diplomatic mission to Kirigakure and set up an alliance between the two villages." Naruto began. "I guess during that time, Sasuke-teme had expressed interest in Sakura-chan, and Taida-sensei did everything in his power to try and get them alone together."

"Which is probably why he assigned the duck ass to guard you." The blonde continued. "Once he learned of your heritage, he probably set his sights on you. Willing to bet if he hadn't already, he will be throwing around his 'Elite' status as a Uchiha soon."

"He already has." The princess responded, a tone of disgust in her voice as she recalled her interaction with the Uchiha just outside her room while on the boat. "Had the audacity to say I should feel honored to bare his children."

Naruto could only scowl at that.

"I refuse to be alone with him for even a second." She commented with disdain.

"Stay close to either me or Sakura-chan." The blonde offered her a smile. "We'll protect you, even from our own team mate."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She smiled, laying her head back down on his back.

"We should be back with the others in about half an hour." He decided to inform her, as he took in his surroundings and noticed they were getting close to where the convoy had been halted. Receiving a nod in acknowledgment.

* * *

**Half Hour Later**

True to the blondes word, a line of trucks came into view as he bounded over a smalls now drift. A lone, pink haired girl could be seen standing in the open, waiting for their arrival. For her part, Koyuki was both relieved and disappointed at the same time. She had greatly enjoyed her time alone with the blonde as they had talked about a great deal of different topics. She had even learned the reasons as to why the pinkette had informed her that she didn't mind sharing, after the princess had flat out brought it up to the blonde, much to her own embarrassment.

Koyuki was relieved as to how honest the blonde was in regards to that topic. It had helped allay many of the concerns she had about any potential relationship she could or would have with the young blonde. Though she still wasn't fully welcoming to the idea of sharing him, but she had decided to discuss it in more detail with Sakura later, since the pinkette seemed completely comfortable with the concept and even happy, and had encouraged her to seek out a relationship with Naruto.

"Enjoy your camping trip?" Sakura teased as she approached the duo, which earned her a blush from the princess.

"We ran out of S'mores." Naruto responded with a chuckle as he set Koyuki down. "How have things been here?"

"A bit boring, but we got the path cleared this morning." The pinkette answered before turning to the princess, a look of concern in her eyes. "And please be careful, I overheard Kakashi telling Sasuke to make a good impression to you when you returned."

This of course caused both Koyuki and Naruto to narrow their eyes.

"He is probably going to try and assign the duck ass to her again." Naruto pointed out, earning a nod in agreement from Sakura.

"I refuse." Koyuki stated defiantly, clenching her fists tightly.

"Don't worry." The blonde winked at her, causing her to blush slightly.

"Koyuki-hime, it is a relief to see you safe." Asama stated as he approached the trio, bowing in respect to the young princess. "And I thank you, Naruto, for looking after her."

"Well, unlike some members of our team, we prefer to keep our client alive and safe." The blonde responded, eyeing the approaching Uchiha, whom only scoffed in response.

"That's enough Naruto." Kakashi chastised as he approached the group. "Sakura, I want you to guard the film crew today, while Sasuke…."

"No!" Koyuki exclained, cutting the masked jonin off. "I absolutely refuse to be left in the care of that arrogant asshole!"

Naruto and Sakura both couldn't help but snicker to themselves and the princess outburst, whilst the Uchiha looked like he was about to blow a gasket. Meanwhile, Kakashi looked taken aback.

"In case you forgot, Hatake-san." She continued, causing the masked jonin to flinch at the use of his last name. "I already refused to have him as my protection detail earlier, and I still refuse to be anywhere near him."

"I see." Kakashi sighed, before looking between Naruto and Sakura. "Very well, Sakura, you will be watching Koyuki-hime."

Nodding, the pinkette stood next to the princess, whom was still glaring at the masked jonin for a few more seconds before turning and leaving the group, along with Sakura. Though not before giving one last look towards the blonde, whom merely gave her a subtle nod.

"Sasuke, you take watch this time while Naruto watches over the film crew." The silver haired man finished his instructions, earning another scoff from the Uchiha, and a shrug from the blonde.

Having his instructions, Naruto immediately took off towards the truck the film crew was in. Though not before making a few shadow clones to keep watch, not fully trusting the Uchiha to perform his given duty. Arriving at the truck that housed the film crew, Naruto let himself in and quickly set to work writing out the request scroll he had promised Koyuki. Deciding to keep the short, no matter how tempting it was to inform the old man of the avalanche incident, the blonde finished up the scroll quickly and rolled it up.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" The blonde exclained, slamming his hand to the ground, causing a small poof of smoke, revealing the same slender blue snake that had appeared to him the other day.

"Greetingsss Naruto-sssama." Nagni hissed, quickly crawling up the blondes arm.

"Sorry for calling you back to this cold place, but I need you to deliver a scroll to the old man for me." The blonde stated as he pulled out the scroll he had just written. "If it isn't too much trouble, Nagni-chan."

"No trouble at all, Naruto-sssama." The snake hissed, taking the scroll with her tail.

"Thanks." The blonde smiled as the snake disappeared in another plum of smoke.

The blonde was fairly certain the old man would allow the extension for himself and Sakura, as it was on the clients request. Though he had kept the reasoning for the request for just the two of them a secret wanting to surprise the Hokage when the film finally did come out. However, he did have to reveal that the Icha Icha movie deal had been canceled, due to the director meeting with N. U. Kitsune, and that the new film was from the Demon Heart books. Which wasn't exactly a lie, as they had met the author.

"Shouldn't take long to hear back from the old man." The blonde spoke to himself.

'_Now to prepare for the inevitable ambush that's to come.'_ He thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes slightly. _'I swear, if this Doto didn't orchestrate an ambush in this pass, I will swear off ramen for a year.'_

This of course earned a small giggle from the kitsune girl as she could imagine her blonde mate going through ramen withdrawals, should he actually be wrong about the ambush. Though, like the blonde hanyou, she felt it was coming, and the only thing they could do is spring the trap.

* * *

**Hokage's Tower, Konoha**

Hiruzen sighed for what seemed like the millionth time within the past hour as he sorted out another stack of paper work to be filed away. While allowing his shadow clones to do most of the work, it was still expected of him to at least help out. He had just lifted up the stack when a plum of smoke erupted from his desk, causing the poor old village leader to stumble back and drop the stack of papers, causing a domino effect as other stacks of papers fell over, adding to the ever growing mess.

"Awwww!" He cried out as anime tears poured from his eyes, groveling as he imagined how long it was going to take to clean up this mess.

"Hokage-sssama?" Nagni inquired from the desk, looking down at the crying old man.

"Yes?" Hiruzen replied as he slowly picked himself up off the floor, turning to his desk and seeing the light blue snake coiled around a scroll. "Ah, Nagni-chan. It's been awhile."

"Message from Naruto-sssama." The snake hissed as she uncoiled from the scroll, allowing the Hokage to pick it up to read.

"I see." The village leader commented as he read the contents of the scroll. Raising an eye brow as to why the actress had specifically requested Naruto and Sakura to remain for an extra two weeks to finish up personal matters outside of the mission parameters.

Shrugging slightly, he decided he could give his surrogate grandson this much. Pulling out a fresh scroll, he quickly jotted down his permission to allow both of the requested genins to stay for the requested two extra weeks before rolling it up and handing it off to the snake.

"Please give Naruto-kun my regards and that I wish him luck." Hiruzen stated with a smile.

"Of courssse, Hokage-sssama." Nagni hissed as she took the new scroll and disappeared once more to deliver the message.

Letting out another sigh, he looked around the office before making a few more shadow clones to help him clean up the mess of paperwork. After nearly an hour of picking up and sorting out all the papers, the village leader had finally finished cleaning up the last of the mess. Not taking any chances this time, he assigned each of his clones to file away their respective stacks of papers to avoid another colossal mess from happening.

"There." The Hokage smiled as he sat back down in his chair, though upon looking at his desk, he found something peculiar. Unknown to him, a certain purple haired ANBU had swapped out his usual orange book with the first of the Demon Heart series.

Being curious, he picked it up and flipped it open, only to find a small note written on the inside cover.

'_Hokage-sama,_

_While I respect your love for your students books,_

_I strongly recommend giving this a read. I think you_

_may enjoy it._

_With regards,_

_Neko_

'_Very well Neko-chan.'_ He chuckled as he proceeded to open the book, not one to turn down a thoughtful gift. Though, he may as well read it if the new movie Fujikaze is based off this book series. Though he had to admit, the summary of the book did sound interesting.

However, before he could begin to get into the book, a presence at his window caught his attention.

"What do need Jiraiya?" The Hokage inquired, placing the book back down on his desk to give his former student his full attention.

"Well sensei, came across something interesting." The white haired man stated, turning serious. "A group of missing nin's has formed, calling themselves the Akatsuki."

"Do you know what they are after?" Hiruzen asked, a little concerned. When missing nin began to group up, it was never good.

"Not yet, but I have my network keeping an ear out for anything new." The toad sage stated.

"The moment you learn something, let me know."

"Will do sensei." Jiraiya nodded. "So how's the gaki?"

"He is doing well, currently on a mission in Yuki no Kuni." Hiruzen replied with a smile. "Protection detail for the actress Fujikaze while she films her new movie."

"Ha ha, so the gaki gets to see my movie being made then?" The white haired man laughed at the irony of his godson being on the set for the upcoming Icha Icha movie.

"Actually, the studio canceled the Icha Icha movie." The Hokage informed the perverted sannin, whom immediately stopped laughing, a look of horror washing across his face.

"Wha-what?" He asked, his voice stuttering.

"According to the scroll I just received, Fujikaze ran into a N.U. Kitsune before they set off to Yuki no Kuni, and finalized the deal on a movie based on those books." Hiruzen informed his now heart broken student.

'_How!? How!?'_ Jiraiya mentally questioned himself. _'Damn that Kitsune to the depths of the __S__hinigami's stomach!'_

"Damn." The white haired sage finally responded out loud. "All that effort to intercept his letter for nothing."

"Jiraiya, are you telling me that you misused Konoha resources to further your own gain?" The Hokage inquired in a cold tone.

"Come on sensei," Jiraiya held up his hands in a surrendering position, his eyes flickering to the older mans desk, catching sight of the Demon Heart book sitting on top of it. A sense of betrayal worming it's way into the perverted sage. "This was the best time to get my movie made, and with Fujikaze starring in it, it would have been a sure hit, and furthered my book sales at the same time."

"That doesn't help your case at all." Hiruzen sighed. "Because not only did you use the villages resources for your own gain, which could be considered treason mind you, you also engaged in corporate sabotage."

Jiraiya could only gulp at the serious implications.

"You had better hope that your actions doesn't come back to bite this village in it's ass." The Hokage warned.

"I-I should go check on my contacts." The white haired sage clumsily replied as he moved towards the window before jumping out of it and disappearing into the sunset.

"One of these days Jiraiya, your perverted ways is going to catch up to you." Hiruzen sighed and turned back to the book on his desk, picking it up, he began reading.

Above him, Yugao couldn't help but smile.

* * *

**Omake, The Doctor Is In**

"And whats so special about your taijutsu style anyways?" The Uchiha asked, clearly not impressed by it. "If a dobe like you can do it, it can't be that effective. At least not in your hands. But a true elite like me, could no doubt make it better."

"What's so special about it?" Naruto grinned. "Is that even if you copy it with your precious little pink eye, it would be useless to you."

"You dare insult the power of the Sharingan?" Sasuke demanded.

"Kick it." Naruto suddenly said, catching the Uchiha off guard while gesturing towards the mast.

"What?"

"Kick it, as hard as you can." The blonde instructed, much to the confusion of the raven haired teen and even Kakashi, who was wondering what Naruto was planning.

"What use would it be to kick the post?" Kakashi asked.

"Fine, if the vaunted Uchiha is too scared to do it, I'll do it first." Naruto shrugged before taking a stance, bringing his leg back and swinging it forth. Driving his shin into the large wooden mast, causing the deck in the immediate surrounding area to shake and groan under the power of the strike.

What surprised the two Sharingan users further, was that Naruto made no reaction upon the impact. Almost as if he didn't feel it. Not wanting to be outdone, Sasuke copied the strike. However, when his leg made contact with the massive chunk of wood, a sickening snap echoed across the deck of the ship as the Uchiha collapsed to the deck, holding his now broken shin, screaming in agony.

"That is why it's useless to you." The blonde sighed. "It takes years to condition your body to use this style, but don't worry Sasuke-chan, I have a doctor on call that could even rival Tsunade."

Sasuke could only glare at his blonde team mate through tear strained eyes as Naruto stood up and performed a series of unknown hand seals before slamming his palm into the deck. However, instead of the traditional plum of smoke associated with a summoning jutsu, a steel cage began to rise from the deck.

Slowly, the door spread open to reveal a rather tall individual wrapped in a cape. Their face evenly covered with white make up, dark red lipstick on their lips, and dark blue eye shadow around their eyes. Stepping out, Naruto greeted the strange man.

"Greetings Dr. Frankenfurter, I have a patient in need of your care." The blonde stated as he gestured to the fallen Uchiha.

"How do you do love?" The now identified doctor greeted the raven haired teen, whom could only look up in horror as the man began to approach him with a slight strut in his step. Throwing off his cloak in the process, revealing him to be dressed in a rather scandalous outfit that would normally be worn by girls looking to surprise their lovers for the evening.

"No! No! No." Sasuke screamed as he vainly attempted to crawl away. "I'm fine! It's just a bruise! It's just a bruise!"

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke." Naruto shook his head. "It is important to get your leg fixed. After all, Dr. Frankenfurter is a professional."

Though, as the blonde was talking, the doctor broke out into a song and dance number about showing the raven haired teen about not getting strung out by the way he looked and to not judging a book by it's cover. As well as a few implications of showing the Uchiha what love really was. All the while dragging the poor raven haired teen back into the elevator, to disappear back to where ever it had come from, leaving behind a very confused and horrified Kakashi.

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei." The blonde reassured the still stunned masked jonin. "Sasuke-chan is in very good hands."

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes: **Hope everyone loved that little Omake, as well as I hope everyone knows who Dr. Frankenfurter is. If not, feel free to head to Youtube and search for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Anyways, Koyuki finally got her time alone with Naruto, even though it took a ranting Uchiha to cause it, though she ain't complaining. We also got to see Naruto use his summons a bit more, all the while the poor Hokage in his ever valiant battle with the foe known as paperwork! Not to mention, Naruto got his offer to be in the film.

Lastly, Jiraiya has made his second appearance and has warned the Hokage about the beginning movements of the Akatsuki.

As always, feel free to leave your thoughts, comments, and suggestions in the reviews or hit me up with a private message.

Until next time!


	25. Chapter 25

**Authors Notes:** Well, I am happy to see a few who got the reference I was implying.

For those wondering, or missed it; the reference was a simple line used in The Princess Bride movie. That line being, "As you wish.", in which Naruto tells Koyuki when she wanted to take the long way back to the convoy.

So, as a quick recap of the previous chapter.

Koyuki had a dream/flashback of her father and her dreams of the future. Essentially the same dream she had in the movie, just all at once to give a more complete picture. Then she woke up, and found herself naked with Naruto, much to her embarrassment. Once they got under way to return to the convoy, Koyuki asked Naruto to be in the movie, which we all saw that coming.

On that note, I will openly admit and give credit to _**VFSNAKE**_ for the idea of Naruto starring in the film with Koyuki, due to their story _**'The Heir to the Title of Big Boss'**_ (Chapter 4 if you're wondering). A very good Naruto/Metal Gear Solid cross over, so feel free to give it a read.

Moving on, we saw a bit of planning on Kakashi's part to try and push the Uchiha towards the princess in an attempt to try and divert his favorite student away from the path of revenge. Of course this won't work, as our lovely young princess already has her heart set on our favorite blonde hanyou. Poor Sasuke, well, not really.

And lastly, poor Jiraiya learned that his movie got canceled. As well as our perverted sannin tipping his hand that he had mismanaged some of Konoha's resources for his own perverted gain. Wait until he sees his own godson in a love scene with the princess.

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**CrimsonStarBlade –**_ Sadly, I plan on both Kakashi and Sasuke to be completely absent while Naruto films his parts for the movie. Hence his request to the Hokage for the 2 week extension for him and Sakura.

_**Biob1 –**_ You are correct, and Sasuke is losing his support among the Civilian Council. The only ones currently supporting him are a handful of the Civilian Council, and the Elder Council in a misguided attempt that the last 'Loyal' Uchiha will return the favor, at least between two of them. Danzo is being Danzo and is plotting to manipulate the boy for his own agenda.

No surprise that the old War Hawk knows that the Sharingan can influence the tailed beasts, and he plans to use that to his advantage when Sasuke's eyes mature enough. Too bad our resident Emo King will abandon the village before that.

_**Neo-Shepard –**_ Exactly, love that movie!

_**3headed-dragon –**_ Next up is the completion of the Land of Snow arc and some Koyuki and Naruto fluff. Soo, any chance to see an update for Yami's Favorite Ghoul in the near future? Really wanting to see some flesh munching soon. Though in all seriousness, take your time. You do good stuff!

_**Insanemaelstorm –**_ Yeah, Koyuki is not in the mood for any of Kakashi or Sasuke's shenanigans, and this chapter we will see Koyuki's affections towards our favorite blonde culminate into the start of their official relationship, so enjoy!

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

Alright, enough rambling. On with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 25

It had been nearly two days since Naruto and Koyuki had rejoined the convoy, and it had gone about as well as the blonde hanyou had expected. Throughout the day, Sakura would watch over and converse with the princess, telling her further embarrassing stories about Naruto, much to the blondes dismay. Kakashi continued to assign Naruto to other sections, away from the princess and had at least one more time, attempted to assign Sasuke to her. Which had backfired spectacularly in the masked perverts face when the princess had erupted in another tangent and had not so kindly reminded the man that the brooding emo had nearly killed her with his egotistical rant not too long ago, and that it was only due to Naruto that she had survived. Something the masked jonin did not like being reminded of.

Aside from that, the blonde had continued to plan for the inevitable ambush. Though he could see that both Kakashi and Sasuke were not taking his warning seriously, prompting him and Sakura to plan to pick up the slack so that none had to pay the price for the duos blind ignorance. During his planning, Naruto had also discovered that while Koyuki and himself were in the cave, Asama had sent a scout ahead of the convoy through the snow to gather the rebels from the village, in hopes of creating a counter ambush, having taken Naruto's warning seriously. With the life of the princess at stake, the elder man did not want to take any chances. Though while the man had meant well, that had left Naruto with another problem. How to protect the rebels as well?

Naturally, he knew Kakashi would refuse to aid the rebels, citing some bullshit that it was not within their mission parameters, and technically he would be correct. However, Naruto would not allow others to suffer if he could do something about it. It was only a matter of determining how the ambush would happen. Imagining a multitude of scenarios that could happen. Everything from the snow shinobi attempting to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, triggering another avalanche to bury the convoy in the snow, or use of technological superiority; judging by the armor that the three snow shinobi had worn during their first engagement.

But, he had settled on one plan that should cover all angles. He just hoped it would work.

"It's about to happen any moment now, isn't it?" Sakura asked, as she came up beside the blonde who was staring out through the window at the snowy mountainside, snapping the teen out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. Be ready for anything, Sakura-chan." Naruto replied before turning to face her, a true look of concern in his eyes. "And above all, be careful."

"I will, Naruto-kun." She replied as she leaned into the blonde and laid her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes as she fell into her mates comforting presence.

From the corner of the cabin they were in, Koyuki could only mentally sigh to herself as she peered over the script she was pretending to read, as the couple consoled one another before the upcoming ambush. Like her producer, the young princess and also taken the blonde hanyou's warning seriously, and was intent to do her best to not be a burden. As she watched the couple, she couldn't help but think back to how it felt to be wrapped in the blondes embrace while they were in the sleeping bag, a small blush creeping across her face, which deepened even further as she recalled the lack of clothing neither of them had.

"Koyuki-hime!" The director of the film shouted as he swung open the door of the trailer they were in, allowing a burst of cold air to invade the warm interior. "We need to find a male lead for the film!"

The young princess could only sigh as she knew this was going to be brought up eventually, since she had not notified any of them that she had requested Naruto to take the role. Though before she could respond to the director to reassure him that she had already secured a male lead, the masked jonin stood up and places his hands on Sasuke's shoulders in a manner to present the arrogant Uchiha as a candidate for the role.

"I am sure Sasuke here could handle it no problem." Kakashi gave his trademark eye smile to the director.

The director was silent as he looked the raven haired boy up and down, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Can he act?" The man finally inquired, still unsure of the young teen being presented to him to be considered for the part.

"I am sure he can pull it off." The masked jonin responded, giving another eye smile. "With it being an Icha Icha film, I don't think too much will be required."

At this, Koyuki couldn't help herself but to giggle at the silver haired mans statement. At first, Kakashi thought that she was giggling because she was considering the idea of having Sasuke star in the film with her, however that quickly changed when he saw her narrow her eyes at him.

"I'm afraid you are behind in current events, Hatake-san." Koyuki responded with a clipped tone, though still flash a malicious and almost gleeful grin as she continued. "That trash got canceled before we even left port."

Despite himself, the masked jonin couldn't help but flinch as the princess called the smut he loved so much, trash. Mentally, he imagined himself rubbing the favored orange book as if he were consoling it from the hurtful things the young actress had said about it. Even more so, the perverted man felt absolutely crushed that the Icha Icha movie had been canceled.

"And don't worry, I've already talked with someone I trust to take up the male lead for the film." She continued, turning her attention towards the director. "However, he will not begin filming until all this is sorted out."

"What do you mean, sorted out?" The director asked. "And who did you get to come play the male lead?"

"It is clear that we will not be able to film while my uncle is sending shinobi forces to kidnap me, and no doubt, to kill anyone who is with me." Koyuki stated. "So until my uncle is no longer a threat, all filming is to be put on hold."

"Koyuki-hime, does that mean…" Asama approached her, hopeful.

"I will be taking my throne back from my uncle, and free these people from his oppressive rule." She replied to the unasked question, earning a nod of approval from both Naruto and Sakura. Meanwhile, the elder producer had tears running from his eyes at the princesses proclamation.

"I don't care who you have called in, there is no way he is better then me, a Uchiha Elite." Sasuke stated as he moved towards the princess, causing her to scowl, whilst Naruto and Sakura poised to react if need be. "You should be honored that I would even consider being in this film."

"Listen here Uchiha, and listen well." Koyuki narrowed her eyes at the arrogant raven haired emo. "You may flaunt your Uchiha arrogance within your village and get your own way, but you are in Yuki no Kuni, and your name is worthless in these lands. Further more, I feel absolutely disgusted to have you within my presence. It is only because of Naruto-kun and Sakura-san that I even tolerate your foul stench."

Kakashi, Asama, and the director could only stand there and gape at the princesses words, while the Uchiha seethed in anger that the young woman had dared to talk down to him as if he were below her, like some lowly peasant.

"Now you listen here, bitch!" Sasuke exclaimed as he moved towards her in an aggressive manner, intent on putting the princess in her place beneath him.

However, before he made it half way, Naruto had flashed between them. Holding his Dark Blade in a reverse grip position, with the point aimed directly at the Uchiha's throat. Shocking both Sasuke and Kakashi, as neither had seen Naruto move. Just behind him, Sakura was beside Koyuki, gently pulling her back out of harms way, in case the arrogant duck ass attempted something.

"I believe that is quite enough." The blonde stated in an even tone, his piercing blue eyes staring directly into the Uchiha's, causing the raven haired boy to flinch slightly at the coldness of Naruto's voice.

"Naruto…" Kakashi began, only to be interrupted.

"Hatake-san, I strongly suggest you put this arrogant fool on a tighter leash." Koyuki stated, with a cold edge to her voice from behind the two hanyous. "Lest he finds his head on the gallows once I claim my throne."

The masked jonin gulped at this and silently nodded before he placed a firm hand on the Uchiha's shoulder to pull him back. Once the raven haired emo was a satisfactory distance away, Naruto canceled his blade. Though kept an eye on the two Sharingan users, in case the Uchiha attempted something else.

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto spoke up, catching the masked jonin's attention as the blonde hardly ever called him by his name unless it was absolutely serious. "Perhaps you should take Sasuke-teme outside for a bit to cool down. It won't do us any good if he is set on attacking our own client."

As much as the silver haired jonin had wanted to chastise the blonde for essentially taking over, he knew Naruto was right. Sasuke was already treading in dangerous waters with his latest actions, and the masked pervert was sure that his favored student was going to have to face some sort of punishment when this was all over. Either from the Hokage or from Koyuki herself. The latter having already threatened execution, in which the council in Konoha would have no jurisdiction over to get their beloved Uchiha out of it.

"Come on, Sasuke." Kakashi stated, leading the raven haired teen out of the cabin. Leaving those remaining to breath a sigh of relief.

"Are the rebels in position, Asama-san?" Naruto turned to the elder producer.

"They should be by the time we reach the pass you suspect the ambush to happen." The man replied. "But why have them so far away? They are eager to fight for Koyuki-hime."

"I know, which is why I've asked you to have them stay back." The blonde stated, earning a confused look for not only the elder man, but also Sakura.

"Naruto-kun, what are you planning?" The pinkette inquired with a small frown.

"Something that will save a lot of lives." He sighed.

Truth was, he wasn't sure if it was going to work, but it was a chance he was willing to take. Given that it had consumed nearly three quarters of his chakra reserves to initiate his plan to begin with. Still, the blonde hanyou had a feeling in his gut that Doto was going to attack them with something so brutal, it would crush the rebellion in a single stroke, and the best way to avoid that was to not have the rebels there at all. Hence why he had replaced their entire ranks with Shadow Clones he had sent ahead to henge as the rebels, with the actual rebel army hiding well behind the fake army.

"I expect to see the three we fought before to show up." Naruto continued. "When they do, I will square off against Fubuki, the pink haired one."

"What, my hair isn't pretty enough for you?" Sakura teased, causing the blonde to chuckle slightly.

"Don't be jealous Sakura-chan. You'll always be my cherry blossom." He teased back, earning a blush from his pink haired mate. "But in seriousness, I want to talk to her and ensure she is safe. Because one way or another, this ends today. Either they manage to wipe out the rebellion, or we take them out and go after Doto himself."

"Please, be careful." Koyuki said, concern laced in her voice. "Both of you."

"Don't worry." Naruto winked at her, causing her to blush. "We won't leave you alone with that arrogant duck ass."

This of course, caused both Sakura and Koyuki to laugh softly at the absent Uchiha's expense. Allowing a sense of levity to fall between the three.

* * *

**Half an Hour Later**

Silence passed between the occupants as they continued on their way towards the village that they were set to arrive in within the hour. Sasuke had opted to stay on the far end of the cabin, mostly due to Kakashi's insistence that the young Uchiha not cause further trouble for himself. Though that didn't stop the raven haired teen from casting angry glares towards the princess and Sakura. The two had noticed this, but had ignored the brooding emo, which only infuriated him further.

Meanwhile, Naruto had taken position on top of the truck to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Stretching out his sensing capabilities as far as they could go, picking up locations of the various wildlife in the immediate area, and of course, the awaiting forces of the Snow Shinobi just a bit further up the road way. Closing his eyes, he focused on the enemy forces. Aiming to get a more accurate reading for what they were about to encounter. Among the forces, he could feel the chakra of the three snow shinobi that had attacked them on the boat.

However, as he focused on the enemy forces, he noticed something that caused him to frown. While they were a considerate size, it was nowhere near as much as he had expected Doto to send. It was as if the tyrant had something else planned. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto began to speculate what the mad man's plan could be.

'_Guess we will find out soon enough.'_ The blonde thought to himself as he jumped down to let the others know. _'Be ready for anything, Ahri-chan.'_

'_**Right, Naruto-kun.'**_ The kitsune girl nodded.

'_Better let the others know of what's about to happen.'_ Naruto mentally commented as he pounded on the roof a few times with his foot, to give Sakura the signal to get ready.

Inside the cabin, the occupants all looked towards the source of the pounding before looking amongst one another. Nodding to one another, Sakura and Koyuki moved over to where Asama and the director was, earning a questioning look from the masked jonin.

"What's going on?" Kakashi inquired, looking up from his orange book.

"Naruto-kun is warning us of the upcoming ambush so we can get ready, and keep Koyuki-hime and the film crew safe." Sakura replied, earning a scoff from the brooding Uchiha.

"The dope is probably just faking it to make himself look better then he actually is." Sasuke commented dismissively.

"I highly doubt an ambush will happen." Kakashi mildly agreed with the Uchiha. "If anything, we will only see the three that attacked us previously."

This of course prompted both Koyuki and Sakura to roll their eyes, while Asama frowned at the masked jonin. The elder producer for one was glad that at least two of the Konoha shinobi he had hired were capable of doing the job. One of which that had even gone well above and beyond what was asked.

"If you do not trust Naruto-kun to relay accurate information about an impending attack, then why assign him to keep a look out if you will just ignore his warnings?" Koyuki countered, causing the masked jonin to sigh and relent to the princesses reasoning. However, Kakashi didn't get much time to dwell on it as the truck and the convoy came to a sudden halt.

"It's happening." Sakura stated as she looked to the film crew and princess to issue instructions. "Everyone outside, but stay near the trucks for cover."

"Sakura, wai…." Kakashi's words fell on deaf ears as everyone aside from himself and Sasuke had exited the truck, prompting the masked jonin to sigh as he jumped out as well with the Uchiha behind him, becoming a little frustrated that both Sakura and Naruto had essentially taken over this mission.

Once outside, he was greeted with the sounds of a massive battle as shouts and screams echoed from just beyond a large snow bank that now blocked the path of the trucks. Three familiar forms standing atop them, sneering down at the Konoha shinobi.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it. Hatake." Nadare greeted sarcastically, earning a chuckle from both of his team mates.

Knowing what was about to happen, Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan eye, and braced himself for the inevitable attack from the three snow shinobi. Meanwhile, Naruto jumped down from the roof of the truck he was standing on, causing the larger of the snow shinobi to flinch slightly at the sight of the blonde, causing the hanyou to chuckle to himself.

"Heya big guy." Naruto stated with a sadistic grin, zeroing in on Mizore. "How's the ribs?"

Once more, the large snow shinobi flinched slightly, unconsciously bring a hand up to cover his barely healed ribs that had been cracked from the mans earlier encounter with the blonde.

"Alright, pleasantries are out of the way." Fubuki commented as she crouched down, ready to leap into action. "Let's take care of these assholes and bring the princess back to Doto-sama."

"Fine fine." The lilac haired shinobi shrugged. "Mizore you take…."

"I got the pink haired bitch." The larger shinobi stated. He absolutely refused to fight Naruto once more.

"Pfft, whatever." Fubuki shrugged. "I'll take the handsome one."

"Flattering, but you're not my type." Sasuke retorted as he readied himself with a kunai.

"I was talking about the blonde one, you duck ass emo." The pink haired snow shinobi scoffed. Though she didn't miss the blonde in question as well as his pink haired team mate chuckling to themselves at the Uchiha's expense.

"What ever, just kill them!" The lilac haired man ordered as he moved to engage Kakashi.

"You will not take Koyuki-hime!" Asama exclaimed as he came running up to the group, dressed in a traditional Samurai armor, signifying the elder mans former position of the royal guard for the princesses father, and by extension, the princess herself. Stopping atop a hilltop not to far from where Team 7 and the Princess were.

Behind him were a large contingent of rebel troops, all equipped with various make shift armors and weapons. Very few actually held any thing that could truly be considered as armor, or weapons as most of them were just leather hides with fur and various farming tools to use at weapons. However, there was determination in their eyes, telling those before them that they would not yield, even if it cost them their last breath.

"Aww look, the farmers wanna play soldier." Mizore scoffed at the rag tag group.

"Good." Nadare stated with a malicious grin. "We can crush these pathetic ants in one swift stroke. READY THE KUNAI LAUNCHERS!"

All the Konoha shinobi, including Naruto's eyes widened at the lilac man's last orders. None of them liking the sound of what a kunai launcher could be. Immediately on the mountain side, multiple snow piles exploded, exposing small groups of snow shinobi standing behind what appeared to be a weird canon of some kind.

"FIRE!" The lilac haired man shouted.

'_Shit!'_ Naruto mentally cursed as he quickly ran towards the princess and tackled her down to get her out of harms why. Ensuring that his own body shielded her from any potential threat from the launchers. Grunting slightly as a few stray ones struck him in the back.

Without hesitation, Sakura went through a series of hand seals to summon a large enough earth wall to protect the film crew and the director from the volley of kunai that now rained down upon them. While Kakashi did the same to protect Sasuke from the onslaught.

The rebels however had no such fortune as the kunai tore through their ranks. Eliciting screams of terror and pain from the ragtag rebellion forces. Even the elder mans armor proved useless against the onslaught of blades that tore into his chest and stomach, with one even wedging itself into the mans knee, causing him to crumble down to one knee. Using his sword to keep him steady as he stared up at the snow shinobi.

"You… will not… win." He rasped out, before collapsing onto his back as the hail of kunai ceased as the launchers ran out of ammo.

"I think we already have." Nadare laughed as the Konoha shinobi began to emerge from where they were hiding.

As they did, a snowy field of bodies greeted them of what was once the rebel army that retaliated against Doto and his rule. Kakashi silently lowered his head in mourning for the fallen before turning his attention back to the lilac haired man that had ordered the massacre that would be forever etched into his memory due to his Sharingan being active at the time of the massacre. For his part, Sasuke remained quiet, completely apathetic to the fallen rebellion.

On the other hand, Koyuki let out a sharp gasp, bringing her hands up to her mouth to cover a silent scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. Tears forming in her eyes. What made it even worse for her, was knowing that they had all laid down their lives for her. Turning to the blonde in front of her, her eyes widened as she saw four kunai embedded into the blondes back.

"Don't worry Koyuki-hime." He smiled to her before channeling some of his chakra to his back to force the embedded weapons out, allowing them to drop harmlessly to the snow beneath him.

By this time, Sakura had also emerged from the earth dome she had made for the film crew. Closing it behind her to ensure the crew would remain safe until the battle had subsided. Seeing the snow strewn with bodies, she couldn't help but to feel a swell of sorrow for the fallen, turning her attention to the three snow shinobi that still stood atop the snow pile, blocking the path. Her eyes narrowing at the two males of the group.

"Well, that takes care of the trash." Mizore commented, earning a scowl from the two hanyous, and the princess.

"Let's wrap this up." Nadare instructed. "Kill them!"

Immediately the three snow shinobi launched themselves at their chosen opponents. With Fubuki making a dash towards Naruto whom merely smirked and jumped away. Leading the pink haired snow shinobi away from the group.

Meanwhile, Mizore launched himself towards Sakura. Intending on smashing her into the ground as he rose his large hands and brought them down viciously into the snow, creating a cloud of snow and dirt to obstruct his vision momentarily, while Sakura leaped away.

"Stay still, so I can crush you!" The large man exclaimed, trying to find the pinkette in the flurry of snow.

'_Yeah sure, let me get right on that.'_ The pinkette though sarcastically to herself, earning a small chuckle from her inner self.

"You shouldn't waste your time a weakling like her, when you can face an elite like me." Sasuke stated cockily as he landed off to the side of the larger snow shinobi.

'_**Idiot.'**_ Inner Sakura commented. _**'He could have used the distraction to take him out.'**_

'_What do you expect, Taida-sensei has constantly praised him for such actions.'_ Sakura mentally rolled her eyes.

'_**We should hang back and see how he does.'**_ Inner giggled, imagining the arrogant Uchiha getting laid out on the ground.

'_Agreed, but keep on guard just in case either of them try something.'_

In agreement with her inner self, Sakura bounded a fair distance away from the two males as Sasuke charged at the larger man with his kunai. Aiming to disable the snow shinobi as quickly as possible, only for the weapon to deflect harmlessly off the large mans chakra armor.

"What the…." The raven haired Uchiha wasn't able to finish as the Mizore took a swipe at him with his iron gauntlet, forcing the Uchiha to leap back to avoid being struck. Though before Sasuke could counter attack, Mizore had launched the same iron gauntlet into the raven haired teens direction, leaving Sasuke vulnerable in mid air to the attack.

From a distance, Sakura watched as the Uchiha evaded the initial strike from the larger shinobi. Then as Mizore had fired off his gauntlet towards his intended target whom had yet to land before she felt a familiar pull in her gut, causing her to narrow her eyes as she once again found herself in the path of the attack, while the arrogant teen was in her spot. Smirking slightly, she quickly turned the tables and switched herself out with him, allowing Sasuke to take the full brunt of the attack in the chest. Knocking him out cold.

"Not this time, asshole." Sakura stated as she looked down at the unconcious emo, half tempting to spit on him for attempting the same cowardice act he pulled on her in Nami no Kuni.

"Ha!" Mizore laughed. "You got spite, I like that in a woman."

"Not interested, I already have a mate." The pinkette scoffed as she crouched down into a defensive posture.

"You won't have a say in the matter." He grinned. "I'll even let that blonde brat watch as I make you scream. And once I am bored of all of your holes, I will kill him and sell you to a brothel."

Hearing this, Sakura narrowed her eyes as she felt her hanyou blood boil. Screaming out for the arrogant snow shinobi's blood. Slowly, her canines began to extend slightly as her pupils turned to slits. Her fingernails extending into inch and a half long claws. Her raging boiling over, the infuriated hanyou launched herself towards the larger shinobi, whom was caught of guard by her sudden aggressiveness and viciousness. Even more so, when he had launched his gauntlet like weapon towards her, only for her to catch it and crush it within her bare hands.

"What the hell!?" Mizore exclaimed as the pinkette barreled upon him.

Once within melee range, Sakura wasted no time to rain down a flurry of punches onto her opponent, Each strike echoing through the mountain sides, as the mans chakra armor took more and more damage, buckling under the sheer amount of abuse it was sustaining. It was then, that Mizore noticed the pinkette's face, and how demonic it looked, so full of fury.

Vainly, the large man tried to cover himself but to no avail as the inhuman strength broke through any defense he feebly attempted to put up. With one last push, Sakura jumped up and performed a spinning back kick directly into the mans chest, cracking the circle like design the chakra armor had, while sending Mizore a good distance away.

As the large man went sailing back, his chakra armor began to spark and crackle as the overload of energy began to build up in the chest area, causing Mizore to panic and try to rip his armor off in mid flight, though it wasn't to be as the power surge that built up exploded, sending bits of the large man all over the mountain side, and snow covered ground. Effectively knocking the pink haired hanyou out of her blood lust.

'_He's dead.'_ Sakura thought numbly while in shock. Though also a bit disappointed that _**she**_ wasn't the one to kill him, and that it was due to the damage his armor took. Frowning a bit, she looked around to see Sasuke just now starting to regain consciousness. Frowning slightly, she let out a sigh, knowing she was about to get an earful for returning the favor to the arrogant emo. Still, it felt good to give the Uchiha a taste of his own medicine.

'_Better go check on Koyuki-hime.'_ The pinkette thought to herself as she quickly bound over to where the princess was. However, she was broken out of her thoughts as a scream echoed off the mountain sides, which alarmed the pink haired hanyou. Prompting her to dash as fast as she could to where the convoy was. Arriving just in time to see Koyuki being pulled into what appeared to be a ship in the sky, a rope wrapped around the princesses waist.

"Naruto-kun! Sakura-san!" Koyuki screamed out before she disappeared into the vessel.

"Damn it!" Sakura cursed to herself.

* * *

**With Naruto**

The blonde hanyou leapt through the tree branches, weakly throwing his shadow kunai at the pink haired ice user as she continued to pursue him deeper and deeper into the forest until they were well away from everyone else, which slightly concerned her. She knew what the blonde was mildly capable of, due to the injuries Mizore had sustained after their initial attempt to kidnap the princess, and she was not looking forward to feeling that happen to her.

Without warning, Naruto stopped and turned to face her, causing her to panic and deploy her wings from her pack to slow her down. She would have turned tail there, and flew away if the blonde hadn't spoke up.

"I think we are far enough away from the eyes and ears of everyone else." Naruto smiled as he leaned up against the tree. "Right, Fubuki-san?"

"What do you mean?" She tentatively asked as she landed on a tree branch across from the blonde.

"Well for one, Koyuki-hime would be upset if I hurt her best friend." The blonde shrugged, causing the pinkette's eyes to widen in shock that hew know of her friendship with the lost princess. "And don't worry, only myself and Sakura-chan know that you are a spy for the rebels. Aside from Sandayu-san of course."

"For what good it did, I couldn't warn them about the ambush." The pink haired girl frowned. "Now their all dead, including Sandayu-sama."

"Nope." The blonde grinned, catching Fubuki's attention.

"What do you mean, no!?" She demanded. "I just saw them get massacred!"

"No you didn't." Naruto retorted, his grin never leaving his face. "You saw my Shadow Clones get massacred that were henged as Asama-san and the rebels."

Fubuki could only stare at the blonde in silence in complete shock.

"You see, I theorized countless scenarios of how this ambush would play out." The blonde began, squatting down to get more comfortable. "As I know this place would be the best opening for an ambush, judging by the map. So I planned around it. I also counted on that bastard Doto to want to wipe out the rebellion, though I didn't expect him to employ such weapons."

"But if they were just clones, why didn't they disperse when struck?" She questioned in confusion.

"Chakra reinforced, thanks to a very special girl in my life." He cryptically replied, earning a dumbfounded look from the pinkette. "I'll explain later."

"So what's your plan?" Fubuki asked. "Go and kill Doto or something?"

"That's exactly my plan." The blonde grinned. "And we'll free your parents as well."

However, instead of happiness from the pinkette, he only saw sorrow.

"Are they…." He didn't finish, as he saw the tears leak out of her eyes.

"I-I had to kill them a month ago." She sniffled, curling her knees up into her chest as she leaned against the tree. "Doto was becoming suspicious of me, so to test my loyalty to him, he had me kill my own parents."

With a quick movement, Naruto was on the same branch as Fubuki and brought her into a comforting hug to try and calm her down. Rubbing her back as he did so while she cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"It's not your fault." She sniffled. "My parents were prepared for something like this. They said they would proudly die if it meant that I remained safe."

"I promise you this, Doto will pay for all that he has done." The Uzumaki vowed, now having a new reason to send the vile mans soul to Jashin. "For now, we need to get back to the others. So, please forgive me."

Before Fubuki could question what the blonde was talking about, she felt a chop to the back of her neck before her world went black.

It didn't take long for Naruto to return to the convoy, only to see a distraught Sakura, and an upset Sasuke who was glaring at the pinkette the entire time. Meanwhile, Kakashi was leaning against the side of the truck, reading his orange smut.

"What did I miss?" Naruto inquired, though looking around, he noticed Koyuki was missing. _'That must be why Sakura-chan is upset.'_

"Doto has Koyuki-hime." Sakura answered flatly, causing the blonde to frown slightly. He could tell that his pink haired mate was beating herself up over Koyuki being taken.

"Whose that?" Kakashi asked, referring to the pinkette in the blondes arms.

"Fubuki." Naruto simply answered before making his way over to where Sakura stood. "Put her in Koyuki's bed. I'm going to go get Koyuki-hime back."

Nodding, Sakura took the snow shinobi and entered the trailer, ignoring the glare the Uchiha was sending her way.

"We should interrogate her to find where Doto is." The masked jonin suggested as he moved to follow Sakura into the truck.

"No." The blonde stated. "Under International Shinobi Law, she is my prisoner since I am the one who defeated her, therefore she is under my care. Speaking of which, what happened to the other two Snow shinobi?"

"Nadare escaped, and the other one was killed when his armor malfunctioned." Asama stated as he came out of his hiding spot, much to the surprise of Kakashi whom quickly looked over to see the prone body of him laying on top of the snow mound he was killed on. "Your plan worked like a charm, Naruto-san. The entire rebellion is in your debt."

"Wha… how?" Was all Kakashi could stammer out, earning a grin from the blonde.

"Ain't Shadow Clones the most useful technique, especially when you can make a small army of them?"

To prove his point, the bodies of the rebels began to dispel in small sections. Causing the blonde to slightly wince as he experienced how some of them died. Shaking the feeling off, he turned and began to walk towards the tree line.

"Where are you going, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"To get Koyuki-hime back." The blonde simply answered.

"We need to wait and find out where she is being held before we rush in." The masked jonin argued as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hexagonal crystal on a necklace that had been on the princesses neck, before he switched it with the fake she was now wearing. "Besides, I have what Doto is really after."

This caused Naruto to pause and look over his shoulder back at his supposed sensei.

"Congratulations Taida-sensei." The blonde commented. "You just further endangered Koyuki-hime, without that necklace, Doto has no reason to keep her alive. Good job."

Without waiting for a response, the blonde hanyou took off with renewed speed and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** Well, I am going to say this.

The battles gave me a really hard time, so I know this is something I need to improve upon in future chapters. So, I shall aim to improve in writing out larger battles. Though I am content with how this one turned out. I was kind of tempted to have Sakura have her first kill in this chapter, but I felt it would have made Naruto look like a dick towards his mate if he took off so quickly afterwards to rescue Koyuki.

So I settled for a compromise. Mizore died due to Sakura's actions, due to the abuse his chakra armor took. However, she didn't get any blood on her hands, thus cheating her out of her actual first kill. So, she gets to have her first kill shortly after she and Naruto returns to the village. Which should be amusing, since I have already hinted at her going into a blood lust a few times.

Also, Sakura got a bit of payback against Sasuke when he attempted to switch places with her to save himself. Perfect justice.

Anyways, hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter and as always, feel free to leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message.


	26. Chapter 26

**Authors Notes:** Alright, so normally I would bounce between updating this, and updating Remember Me, but I really, really wanted to finish up this arc and get to some nice Koyuki and Naruto fluff, so jumping right in to the next chapter!

Small recap, in the last chapter we saw our blonde hanyou trying to go over every scenario in his head of what would happen when the ambush begins. Also got to see a bit of Sasuke being well, Sasuke and going on his typical egotistical rant, only to be put in his place by Koyuki. Wait until he learns Naruto got the spot in the movie, complete with a love scene with the actress/princess.

Sakura got a bit of revenge on the Emo King when he attempted to switch with her once more, only for her to turn the tables on him and give him a taste of his own medicine. After that, she squared off against the big brute, Mizore. After he insinuated a few things, she went hanyou on him and gave him a vicious beat down that overloaded the mans chakra armor, which blew up. Unofficially giving Sakura her first kill, though she still doesn't have any blood on her hands, yet. But that will change in the coming chapters when she officially gets blooded.

Lastly, Naruto isolated Fubuki away from any prying eyes or ears so that could talk, since he already knew she was a friend of Koyuki. Sadly, he learned that she was forced to kill her own parents, after he suspected her of leaking information to the rebels. So now Naruto has even more of a desire to send the tyrannical dictator's soul to Jashin to suffer for eternity.

And when we left our blonde hanyou, he had set off to rescue Koyuki after learning that Kakashi had taken the princesses necklace, having a hunch that it was truly what Doto was after. Of course as Naruto pointed out, Kakashi may have just put the princess in further danger now that she doesn't have a bargaining chip.

**Notice:** Poll is up to decide which two girls will fill the last two slots for the harem in Remember Me, so feel free to vote for your favorite!

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**Rebmul –**_ Sadly, Uke-chan has to stay alive a bit longer, but there will be an eventual final show down between him and Naruto.

_**SelenatheNerd –**_ I thought so too. As for Kakashi, well, this mission is going to be a bit of a wake up call for him, especially after he receives his punishment from the Hokage. Just gotta think of what that punishment should be. Maybe have Neko take all his Icha Icha books and burn them in front of him?

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark –**_ Indeed. I've already implied a few times that due to them being half demons, they are a bit prone to blood lust. This is something to keep in mind for a chapter in the near future when Sakura gets blooded (gets her first official kill). Though it will be especially amusing when Hinata gets blooded. Poor Kurenai, she is going to need an extremely large bottle of wine to make her forget about what she will see and hear.

_**Shaitan Elnefi –**_ Both Sasuke and Kakashi will be getting punished. Granted, due to the Elder Council's interference, Sasuke's will be reduced, but Kakashi will not have such luck. Though, this will lead to an argument among the Shinobi Council and the Elder Council.

_**Titoneitor2.0 – **_Thanks, though I still feel like I need to improve in writing large fighting scenes. As for chapter length, I have made it a standard that all chapters are at least 5,000 words long. However, this one may have felt shorter because I solely focused on Naruto and Team 7, instead of jumping to other locations like I do in other chapters.

* * *

**Spotlight**

_**Rise of the New Sith Order – by Kaijuhunter-02**_

Bit of a guilty pleasure of mine are Star Wars and Naruto cross overs. Especially when Naruto becomes a Sith Lord, which this story checks all the boxes for me. You have a not so nice Minato, Danzo being Danzo, and Tenten being seduced by the Dark Side all in one. Give it a read!

_**Naruto Senju of the Hidden Leaf – by Naruto Senju Ootsutsuki**_

Abandoned!Naruto story, in which his parents leave Naruto in Konoha due to the toad prophecy. Believing his twin brother is the chosen one. However, instead of suffering abuse and beatings, Naruto is given a new family, thanks to the Shinigami interfering. Check it out!

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

Now that you have been warned, on with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 26

Koyuki glared defiantly at the two men standing before her. Doto with a smug expression that he had captured her while her protection detail were distracted with the attacking forces he had sent to ambush them. Meanwhile, Nadare had a lecherous grin as he eyed the princess up and down, causing her to shiver in disgust.

"Mizore was killed, and there has been no word from Fubuki, so best to assume she was either captured or killed." Nadare reported with a slight shrug, not caring in the slightest for his two team mates. He never liked the big brute, and he was beyond frustrated that the sole female of the team would constantly refuse his advances.

"If she has been captured, then she will be executed for failing her objective." Doto stated with authority as he focused his attention on the princess. "Aww, why the angry expression Koyuki-hime. You should be happy for this family reunion."

"You ceased to be my uncle when you murdered my father and usurped his throne." She spat as she narrowed her eyes.

"My pathetic brother was weak." Doto sneered as he moved towards the princess, lowering his face so he could look her in the eyes. "The fool built a weapon that could be used to keep the country in line, but he never used it."

"My father never built any weapons."

"Shows just how naive you really are, Koyuki-hime." The tyrant chuckled, quickly reaching out and grabbing the necklace that was around the princesses neck before ripping it off of her. "Your father spent an exorbitant amount of time and money on his ultimate project. A creation so awe inspiring, it would shake the very foundation of Yuki no Kuni."

Turning, Doto began to walk away before he froze. Staring at the necklace in his hand before he clenched his fist around it. Shattering it within his hand.

"It's a fake!" He exclaimed as he swiftly turned around, his eyes mad with rage.

Hearing this, Koyuki couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock at the revelation. Her mind quickly racing to think of when it could happen. Briefly she wondered if Naruto could have switched it, but quickly shook that thought away as the blonde had been forth coming with all of his plans and what he had intended to do. Her thoughts then shifted to when she retired to her room the morning Kakashi assigned the duck ass to protect her. She vaguely recalled seeing him inside her room while she slept that afternoon, causing her eyes to narrow in realization.

"She is of no use to us anymore, kill her." Doto ordered as he turned to leave the room.

"Doto-sama, would it be…."

"You can have your fun with her, just kill her afterwards." Was all the tyrant said before leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind him in a fit of rage.

"Well, you heard Doto-sama, I get to have you all to myself." Nadare grinned as he slowly began to approach the princess, his hands working to loosen his pants. "Don't worry, I'll enjoy every minute of it."

"Naruto-kun will come for me." Koyuki stated with defiance.

"You mean that blonde brat?" The lilac haired man laughed. "By the time he finds you, I will have already fucked you and left your corpse to rot."

"Are you sure about that?" Came a distorted voice from behind the snow shinobi.

Just as Nadare turned to see who spoke, a sudden wave of coldness washed over his body as he felt a slight pressure in his neck. Unable to move his head, he looked out of the corner of his eyes to see Naruto holding a black blade in a reverse grip position with the edge of the blade going through the snow shinobi's throat. Though what stood out was that the blonde had a rather feral look about him. The whisker marks that adorned his cheeks were far more defined, his pupils had become slits, with an eerily yellow glow around them. The finger nails on his hands had elongated into what appeared to be claws, and his canines had become more pronounced.

With one quick movement, Naruto had brought his right hand around and impaled Nadare through the chest before allowing the body to drop to the ground. Having done that, the blonde flicked his right hand away, to remove any blood that lingered on his hand. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned towards Koyuki. His features returned to normal.

"Sorry you had to see that Koyuki-hime." The blonde apologized, his head bowed. "But I strongly despise rapists."

"I knew you would come Naruto-kun." Koyuki smiled as she launched herself into him and wrapped him in a hug.

For his part, the blonde hanyou was surprised. He had half expected her to shrink away in fear due to his transformation. But here she was, embracing him with all that she had. Still, he returned her embrace, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. After a handful of seconds, Koyuki broke the hug and looked up into the blonde hanyous eyes.

"Is Fubuki…." She began.

"She's safe." He smiled, allowing the princess to breathe a sigh of relief that her childhood friend was safe. "Sakura-chan is watching over her right now."

"Thank you." She whispered, burying her face into his chest.

"Come on, let's get you back to the others." The blonde stated as he moved away from the princess.

"No." She said quietly, not moving from where she stood. "My uncle is on board this airship. This is our chance to end this once and for all."

"Are you sure about this, Koyuki-hime?" Naruto inquired. While he had no issues in ending the life of the tyrant, his primary objective was to ensure the safety of the princess.

"Yes." She replied with confidence. "His rule must end today."

"As you wish." He smiled, taking hold of her hand as the two moved through the ship in search of Doto.

After a few minutes of moving through the vessel, the two eventually found themselves out on the deck of the large, airborne boat like vessel. This was where they found the tyrant, looking over the bow of the ship, before turning to face the two new arrivals. Almost as if he had been expecting them.

"You must be the brat that banged up Mizore." Doto spoke as he fully turned to face the blonde and the princess, a sadistic grin spread across his face. "To think, mere taijutsu could cause so much damage to my chakra armor creations, though I suppose I must thank you for that."

"And why would that be?" Naruto inquired, moving the princess behind him to keep her safe from harm.

"If it wasn't for you, my scientists would have never seen the flaws in their own designs and give me this new and improved chakra armor!" He exclaimed as he threw open his robes, exposing a pristine black looking armor outfit, with a light blue and greenish looking yin yang like seal in the center of the mans chest. "Thus crafting the perfect armor with no weaknesses!"

Naruto merely frowned at the mans claim, resisting the urge to scoff at it. If the blonde hanyou so desired, he could easily puncture the armor as if it were tissue paper. Still, he couldn't deny that there was a small part of him that enjoyed watching as people like Doto go from feeling invincible, only to have it all come crashing down around him, and then the realization wash over him as he falls into despair. Maybe it was his hanyou blood, but so long as he didn't enjoy the suffering of innocent people, the blonde hanyou was content with it.

"Well then." Naruto smirked. "I guess I would be remissed if I past up a chance to test such a fine craftsmanship."

"Go on boy!" Doto exclaimed as he held his hands out wide in a taunting gesture. "Give it your best shot, I'll give you the first one free!"

'_**Okay, now he is just being delusional.'**_ Ahri thought from inside the blondes mind.

'_Well, he is about to be disappointed.' _Naruto smirked.

Taking the invitation, Naruto created a shadow clone to stay with the princess while he charged towards Doto. Channeling a bit of his demonic chakra into his right arm as he brought it back to unleash a full swing into the mans chest. From the side lines, Koyuki watched on as the blondes fist connected with the mad mans armor and then effortlessly, pushing through it, until it exited the other end, covered in blood.

In his arrogance, Doto had not once considered the blonde would actually be able to harm him. Though that all came crashing down the moment the Konoha shinobi's fist ripped through his chest, and exited out his back, causing to spit up a massive amount of blood out of his mouth. Shakily, Doto turned to see the blonde, only to be met with an eerie set of yellow eyes with black slit pupils.

"Jashin-chan will feast upon your vile soul, Doto Kazahana." Naruto stated before quickly removing his hand from the mans chest and in a swift movement, summoning his Shadow Scythe and spinning it around before he severed the tyrants head from his body in one swift motion.

Once the body had fallen to the deck, the shadow clone next to Koyuki had dispersed itself as the princess ran towards the blonde. However, before she could make it half way, an explosion ripped through the ship, causing her to stumble to the side, dangerously close to the edge. Seeing this, Naruto quickly began to make his way to her, apply chakra to his feet to allow him to stick to the deck.

'_Damn bastard must have had a kill switch on him to set the ship to blow if anything happened to him.'_ The blonde thought to himself. However, he was broken out of his musing as he heard a surprised shriek. Looking up just in time to see Koyuki fall over the edge of the airship.

"KOYUKI-HIME!" He shouted, pushing more chakra into his feet to propel himself over the edge.

Narrowing himself as much as he could to reduce as much drag as he could, he zeroed in on the falling princess and rocketed towards her. Within the blink of an eye, he had caught up to her and embraced her in his arms as they plummeted towards the ground. Immediately, she latched on to him. Closing her eyes as she buried her face into his chest, not wanting to witness her own death. However, she quickly snapped out of it as she felt the blondes calming aura. Prompting her to meet the young hanyou's gaze.

"It's going to be alright, Koyuki-hime." he smiled, ignoring how fast they were approaching the ground. "Do you trust me?"

She didn't even need to think about it, and immediately nodded her head.

As they fell, both stared into one another eyes before darkness embraced them for a handful of seconds. The next thing Koyuki knew was cold air was hitting her face as they skidded across the ground through the snow for some distance, all the while she kept her eyes locked with the blondes. Until said blonde hit a tree, the abrupt stop causing her to slip forward, their lips meeting, catching both by surprise. Before they quickly broke apart.

"Sorry, I…." Naruto attempted to apologize however, Koyuki had grabbed his face and lunged forward once more, capturing his mouth with her own in a passionate kiss, which he returned. Earning him a satisfied moan from the princess.

After a handful of seconds passed, the two broke the kiss, both breathing heavily due to the lack of air between them. The princess sporting a heavy blush across her cheeks as she nuzzled into the blondes chest, letting out a sigh in contentment as she took in his scent.

"Are you sure about this, Koyuki-hime?" The blonde asked while rubbing her back. "I mean, you saw my semi-transformation and all."

"And I also heard you say that my uncle's soul was sent to Jashin." Koyuki replied, looking up at him with a soft smile.

"That's right." Naruto nodded with a small sigh. "I am Jashin-chan's champion, and by extension I am also a Jashinist, and I have been tasked to slay corrupted souls and cleanse Jashin-chan's name across the Elemental Nations."

"I'll admit, when I first saw you kill Nadare, I was frightened." She began, nuzzling into him once more. "But throughout this entire trip, you have selflessly put myself and others before yourself and asked nothing in return. I believe you're exactly the same as Dante in your books. A devil with a human heart."

Naruto could only smile at her words. Relieved that she didn't hate him for what he had laid bare before her.

"And that is exactly why I have fallen in love you with, Naruto-kun." She finished, looking up into his eyes once more.

"Very well, Koyuki-hime." The blonde smiled. "We'll talk about this more later, for now, let's get back to the others before Sakura-chan kills Sasuke-teme."

This earned a small giggle from the princess before she leaned in and snuck another kiss before getting up off the blonde. Allowing him to get up as well. Taking hold of his hand, the two began to make their way through the snow towards where the convoy was last stopped.

* * *

**An Hour and a Half Later**

Things were a bit boring, to say the least between those who remained with the convoy. As instructed, Sakura had laid the unconcious snow shinobi in Koyuki's private trailer and watched over her to ensure neither Sasuke nor Kakashi could try to interrogate the pink haired girl. Which thankfully, the masked jonin had not even suggested it since Naruto had left. Sasuke on the other hand had spent the entire time glaring at Sakura while he brooded in the corner of the trailer.

Speaking of Fubuki, the young pink haired snow shinobi had woken up within an hour after being laid down. At first she had been frightened as to where she was, having not seen Naruto nor Koyuki around, but Sakura was able to calm her and allay any fears she had. Giving her a brief update of what happened while she was unconcious and reassuring her that Naruto and Koyuki would be returning shortly.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had taken to talking with Asama. The masked jonin was shocked into silence when the elderly man had informed him of how Naruto had come up with the plan to keep the rebels safe as well as himself with the use of the boys shadow clones, making the silver haired man a little ashamed with himself that he didn't put more trust into his blonde student and had constantly downplayed the teens suggestions and early warnings of the immanent ambush.

Soon however, the sounds of cheers erupted from outside the trailer from the film crew, workers, and the rebels that had gathered after the battle had ended. This of course prompted all those inside to exit quickly to see what the commotion was about. Doing so, they were greeted by the sight of the princess and Naruto approaching the group as the crowd parted way for the duo. Sakura couldn't help but smile as she saw the two holding hands. Of course this didn't go unnoticed by the other members of Team 7 either, eliciting two different reactions.

'_Looks like he got himself another girl.'_ Kakashi thought to himself with a bit of amusement. _'Lucky bastard.'_

While the masked jonin was amused by the new couple, Sasuke could only seethe in anger that once again, another woman had chosen the blonde dobe over him.

"Welcome back, Koyuki-hime." Asama greeted the princess as the two closed the distance. "And thank you once again, Naruto-san for ensuring her safety."

"It was nothing, Asama-san." The blonde replied with a slight shrug.

Meanwhile, the princess looked directly at Kakashi and held out her hand.

"I believe you have something of mine." She stated.

Nodding, Kakashi withdrew the necklace she had worn and placed it in her waiting hand. The next thing he knew, his head was jolted to the side as his left cheek stung from where she had slapped him. His eyes widening in surprise, though he supposed he did deserve it for taking it without her knowing.

"Never take my things again, Hatake-san." Koyuki stated before turning back to the group. Eyeing a certain pink haired girl, whom had her hair free finally, giving it a wild and untamed look, almost reminding Naruto of Tsume's hair style. Just pink. "Fubuki-chan?"

"I'm here, Koyuki-hime." The wild haired pinkette commented with a smile as the two girls embraced in a hug.

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked, a little confused about how the princess was reacting to the enemy shinobi that had attempted to kidnap her just a few days ago.

"Fubuki-san is a childhood friend of Koyuki-hime and has been our spy for the past few years." Asama replied.

"Naruto knew, didn't he?" The silver haired jonin inquired, piecing together the pieces of how his blonde student had insisted she not be interrogated, receiving a nod from the elder producer.

"He did, right after the trio attacked us on the ship." Asama continued. "He witnessed Fubuki-san tossing a scroll towards Koyuki-hime."

'_Look underneath the underneath.'_ Kakashi thought to himself with a slight frown. _'Something I have been failing to do as of late.'_

Meanwhile, while Koyuki and Fubuki began to catch up with one another, Naruto had split off from the group and approached his pink haired mate, whom was leaning against the side of the trailer they had been resting in. Reaching her, he gently lifted up her chin to meet her emerald eyes.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" He inquired, feeling his mate being in emotional distress through their mark.

"I-I don't know." She sighed as she laid her head down on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around the blonde hanyou. "He died due to my actions, but I feel… disappointed that I didn't get to see the life fade away in his eyes. Like I was cheated out of a prize. Am I a monster for feeling this way?"

'_**She must be talking about Mizore.'**_ Ahri commented with a frown, earning a mental nod from the blonde teen.

"No, you are not a monster." Naruto whispered into her ear as he rubbed her back in a comforting manner. Giving her a light kiss along her neck. "This is our burden as a hanyou. So long as you never take pleasure in the suffering of the innocent, you will never be a monster, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded, looking up and claiming her mates lips in a passionate kiss, before breaking apart after a handful of seconds.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She smiled before laying her head back on his shoulder.

"You're welcome, my Cherry Blossom." He replied with a smile of his own. "When we get back to Konoha, I will ask Anko-chan if we can take you out and get you blooded. That way you will have an easier time with your hanyou urges."

Sakura merely nodded in acknowledgment. Both scared and excited at the same time at the prospect of actually taking a life and getting blood on her hands. Figuratively and literally. As the two hanyou's basked in each others presence, Koyuki and Fubuki approached the two. The former having a smile on her face as she watched the two.

"Thank you again Naruto-kun." The princess stated. "For all you have done for me. For us, and for Yuki no Kuni."

"We're not done yet." The blonde smiled as him and Sakura separated from their embrace, earning a confused look from the princess.

"What do you mean, Naruto-kun?" She inquired.

"Do you know where you father was building that machine Doto was talking about?"

"It should be behind Kazahana Castle." Koyuki replied, still not understanding where her blonde love interest was going with this.

"Well, I think we should go take a look at it, and maybe even activate it." Naruto smiled.

"What!? Why would you even suggest that?" She asked, clearly shocked at the blondes suggestion. She wasn't alone either as those that had gathered around began to mumble amongst one another. "Besides, we don't even know where the key is to activate it."

Naruto merely chuckled and shook his head at her reaction, causing her to pout slightly. Making Sakura giggle softly at how cute it made her look.

"Actually, I believe I know where the key is. And I think Kakashi-sensei knows as well." The blonde commented, before gesturing towards the necklace that the princess was wearing once more. "Why else would Doto-teme have been after that?"

"But why do you want to activate the machine?" Koyuki inquired while looking at the crystal necklace that hung around her neck.

"Tell me Koyuki-hime, would your father really create something that would harm others?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"No, he was a pacifist. His dream was to bring spring to…." She trailed off as her eyes widened in realization of what her fathers final creation could very possibly do. Looking up, she could see the blonde nodding in agreement at her, as if on the same thought as her.

"Get these trucks ready to move out! We're heading to Kazahana Castle!" Koyuki quickly shouted out instructions. After a chorus of acknowledgments, the drivers and workers set to work to carry out the orders the princess had given them.

"Shall we, Koyuki-hime?" Naruto inquired as he held out his hand towards her.

Smiling, she accepted it as she pulled Fubuki along with her as the group entered the truck and departed with the rest of the convoy, heading towards Kazahana Castle.

* * *

**Kazahana Castle, One Hour Later**

Within an hour, the convoy of trucks and mass of rebels diverged upon the castle. Much to the shock and elation of the citizens within the town. To finally see that the tyrant had fallen and the true heir to the throne had returned to claim her throne. After quickly addressing the citizens, reassuring them that she would see to it that they were all taken care of and that they need not live in fear anymore, Koyuki led the Konoha team to the back of the castle.

After walking for around fifteen minutes, the group arrived at a large opening with three massive pillar like monoliths that stood in a triangle formation around a massive disc like center. Frowning slightly, Koyuki looked over the site before slowly and cautiously making her way over to a large box with a clear top, allowing her to see a sort of control panel underneath. Gently brushing off the snow, she lifted the lid. Slowly, she removed her necklace and with taking a deep breath, inserted the crystal into the single opening and gave it a small twist.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. No sounds, nothing. But as the minutes ticked on, she began to feel warmer and warmer. Prompting her and various other members of the group to remove their outer coats. It was then that she noticed cracks beginning to appear on the ice that covered monoliths, revealing a sort of crystal underneath. Gradually, before her very eyes, the snow and ice began to melt away, giving way to lush meadows full of wild flowers and babbling brooks.

"It's really here." She whispered as Naruto came up beside her, accompanied with Sakura and Kakashi. "My father's dream has come true. Spring has come to Yuki no Kuni."

"Using the natural geothermal vents under the ground to power the machine, very impressive." Sakura commented. "Your father was a genius."

"And you have made his dream come true, Koyuki-hime." Naruto smiled as he took in the beautiful landscape that was present before him. Though much to the three girls disappointment, the blonde hanyou had not removed his long trench coat. Despite the rising temprature.

Turning around, the princess couldn't resist but to bring the blonde into another hug, burying her face into his chest as tears of happiness and joy leaked from her eyes, all while mumbling thanks into his chest. Smiling, Naruto merely rubbed her back.

"Now, I think we have your coronation to plan and a country to make a much needed announcement to, don't you think, Koyuki-hime?" The blonde asked, earning a nod from the princess.

* * *

**Five Days Later**

It had been nearly a week since the fall of Doto, the tyrant ruler of Yuki no Kuni and the ascension of Koyuki Kazahana to the throne. Word had spread like a wild fire across the country, which had lead to the citizens across the country to hold massive celebrations in the princess honor. During that time, the princess had sat down and talked in great detail with Naruto and Sakura in private away from any prying ears about the blunettes relationship with the young hanyou.

During their talks, Naruto had explained everything to Koyuki. From his earlier years in the village, to his first meeting with Jashin, how he became a hanyou, and his subsequent training sessions with said goddess; which had surprised the princess to hear that he had actually met a goddess, not once, but multiple times and have even been trained by her. Another thing that the princess took great joy in was that one of the most feared goddesses was a woman.

When Koyuki had inquired about Sakura and by extension, the blondes other mates, the pinkette had simply smiled and showed her the mate mark on the base of her neck. Explaining that she had agreed to be one of his mates after she had her eyes opened about her former crush after their missing in Nami no Kuni. Much to her embarrassment for her past actions, the pinkette had confessed to at one point being a fan girl to the brooding emo. Though when asked if Sakura had any regrets in becoming a hanyou, the pinkette merely shook her head and smiled. Citing that she would easily make the same choice, if given the option to go back in time and change things.

After receiving a detailed explanation of the positives and negatives of being a hanyou, Koyuki had insisted upon being marked as one of the blondes mates. Once again, Naruto had reminded her that this would be a life time bond that would last centuries, if not more. This did not dissuade the princess any as she made a small jest that she would be able to take care of her people and ensure the travesties that her uncle had committed would not befall her people once more.

With Sakura as their witness, Naruto marked Koyuki as his mate. The blonde and princess sharing a passionate kiss afterwards, making the pinkette feel a little jealous of being left out. Giving a slight pout, only to earn a kiss from Naruto.

"I suppose we should drop the news to Taida-sensei that we will be staying an extra two or three weeks." Naruto chuckled as he held both girls close.

"Do you think the two of them suspect you being in the movie?" Sakura inquired as they broke apart and began to make their way down the massive hall way that lead towards the throne room.

"I am sure Kakashi has, but he's kept it quiet." The blonde replied. "Duck ass can barely see past his own nose, so I doubt he suspects anything. Should be a good surprise for him."

This caused the two girls to giggle.

After a short walk, the trio reached a double set of large wooden doors. Pushing the doors open, Naruto allowed the two ladies to go before him before closing them behind him. Inside the massive room, they could see Kakashi and Sasuke packed and ready to go and simply waiting for the remainder of the team to arrive.

"Say your good byes, Naruto?" The silver haired jonin asked with his trade mark eye smile. This of course earned a scowl from the brooding Uchiha.

"Forgive me for not informing you earlier, Kakashi-san." Koyuki spoke up, using her diplomatic tone. "But I have requested that these two remain to handle matters outside of the mission parameters."

To further prove her point, the princess produced a mission scroll and handed it to the masked jonin to read over. Seeing that the two had the Hokage's seal of approval, Kakashi merely sighed and nodded his head in acceptance. This of course prompted the Uchiha to scoff and begin walking away in anger, not bothering with any farewell to either of them. Seeing this, Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation before turning back to Naruto.

"You're the male lead, aren't you." It was more of a statement then a question. Causing the blonde to merely chuckle while scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well good luck Naruto, Sakura. See you back at the village" Kakashi nodded before turning to leave. "And Naruto, try not to produce an heir to the throne just yet."

The last words of the masked jonin caused a crimson blush to wash over the princesses face at the implications, and nervous laughter from Naruto, whilst Sakura couldn't help but to hold her stomach in laughter at the twos embarrassment.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap!

I know the death of Doto was a little under whelming, but I did want to portray him as a mentally unstable tyrant who though himself untouchable. Believing his new armor couldn't be scratched. Of course, he didn't account for hanyou strength blows.

We also got to see the first kiss between Naruto and Koyuki, even if it did initially happen by accident, but neither of them minded. We also got to see Koyuki receive her mates mark, so expect her name to be added to the list of girls who have been marked. And she slapped Kakashi for stealing her necklace.

Speaking of Kakashi, as you can see, the next chapter will mark the beginning of him actually trying to regain the trust of his other two students. They won't make it easy for him, but he will begin to put in the effort. So, should be a fun redemption arc for him.

As always, I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave your thoughts, suggestions, and such in the reviews or hit me up with a private message!


	27. Chapter 27

**Authors Notes:** And we're off again!

Alright, so last chapter Naruto had went after Koyuki and killed Nadare and Doto, before sharing his first kiss with Koyuki, with many more following afterwards. As well as our young princess learning to truth about our favorite blonde. And then being marked as one of his mates. So now the Land of Spring has the Eternal Princess!

We also got to see how our little Cherry Blossom is coping with her first unofficial kill and how she feels cheated out of it, because of how it happened. So once they get back, Anko will take the two hanyou out so she can officially get her first kill and sate her demonic urge to spill blood.

Last chapter also marked the beginning of Kakashi's redemption arc as he realizes just how much potential Naruto has and is noticing more and more just how arrogant Sasuke has become. Finally realizing that he may not be able to keep his promise to Obito. Not to mention the brooding Uchiha's actions that nearly killed their own client.

Rest assured, while the elder council will try to intervene, the Emo King is going to receive a very humiliating punishment when he returns. It's going to be evil, you'll love it.

_**Warning: There is a lemon scene in this chapter. Another warning will be placed before the scene begins for those that wish to skip it.**_

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**Kitsune Obsessed Freak –**_ Chapter 10 – This was most likely a case of the fingers going faster then the mind, however I won't stress over it, since dope has pretty much the same meaning. Idiot, stupid, loser, etc.

Chapter 22 – Pretty much, couldn't just have the characters of Naruto's books remain nameless and since I was playing Devil May Cry at the time, it was a perfect fit. Also, allows me to use the line in the previous chapter.

_**AmbertheCat –**_ Don't worry, duck butt will find out and he will not be happy. Pretty much everyone will find out during the month long break between matches during the Chuunin Exams, when the movie will be released for all the Elemental Nations to see.

And yes, now we start the long road for Kakashi's redemption. Though he will have to suffer a little though for his past mistakes. As for Hidan, she will be fun to write. Very foul mouthed and brash, though I don't think I will make her lewd or anything like I have seen a lot of other authors portray a Fem!Hidan. Also, I have a twist planned for her.

_**Sho9986 – **_I have something planned for Kakashi's punishment, and it mildly does involve his favorite little books. Though, his books will be safe for future reading after his punishment is over.

_**Pittsacee –**_ Both Kaguya and Isaribi are being considered. I have a vague idea of how I can introduce Isaribi, since that mission comes up after the Chuunin Exams. Which will be fun, since Anko gets to lead her own genin team. Just gotta iron out some details between the exams and the mission.

_**Rebmul –**_ Sadly, like I said, that won't be until further towards the end of the story.

However, something in the near future is the perverted toad sage learning his own godson is the author of the books that have been decimating his own Icha Icha series. Not to mention how Naruto got the movie deal instead of Jiraiya. Going to make their relationship a little rocky when the finally meet.

**Poll –** The poll for _**Remember Me**_ has been closed with the winners being _**Esdeath**_ and _**Pyrrha**_, as the last two for the harem in that story. Before anyone offers any suggestions, I already have a way to introduce both to that story.

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Koyuki*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

Now that the rambling is over, on with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 27

**Konoha, Ten Days Later**

The silver haired jonin let out a long sigh as the gates of the village came into view. It had been a long ten days traveling back from Yuki no Kuni, now named Haru no Kuni, the Land of Spring. Almost the entire trip back he had to endure the complaining and ranting from the sole Uchiha. Most of it revolving how it was all the blonde dobe's fault that the princess had rejected him and that she was a fool to refuse such an honor to bear his children.

It had gotten to the point that two days ago, Kakashi had snapped at the raven haired teen. Reminding the brooding emo that he had strongly suggested that he take it slow with the princess and woo her with his charm. Failing the realize that the last Uchiha had about as much charm as a dead fish. Instead, Sasuke had all but forced himself unto the princess. Destroying any chances the Uchiha would have had with the young woman. Since then, Sasuke had barely said a word to the masked jonin. Opting instead to silently seethe and stew in his own anger and hatred towards his blonde team mate.

Arriving at the village gates, Kakashi quickly signed the two of them in before dismissing the raven haired teen for the day. Ignoring the scoff the Uchiha made, the masked jonin slowly made his way towards the Hokage's Tower. Before he knew it, he was at the large wooden doors. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves for the report he was about to give the Hokage about the previous mission, the actions of Sasuke, and his own failure, he pushed the doors open and entered.

"Welcome back Kakashi." Hiruzen greeted the masked jonin as he set down the scroll he had just received less then an hour ago. "I trust the mission went well."

"Mission was a success, Hokage-sama." The silver haired man replied, before sighing. "All thanks to Naruto."

"I sense there is something you need to get off your chest." The old man answered with a slight frown.

Nodding, the silver haired man began to report his experience on the mission. The masked jonin had left nothing out. Reciting how the team had encountered the princess and the film crew, the princess running off initially after Sasuke had attempted to force her to return to the film crew, and how Naruto had managed to calm her down to the point that she was suddenly eager to start filming again. Revealing that he later learned that it was due to finalizing the deal for the Demon Heart movie that had spruced up the princess once more.

Hiruzen remained silent as Kakashi continued to give his report, as the masked jonin began to explain what had happened during the boat ride. How he had attempted to have Sasuke seduce the princess once her heritage was learned by assigning the Uchiha to watch over her, and how it had subsequently failed due to the boys ego and forcefulness. Then moving on to how Sasuke had nearly killed the princess during his rant, that had triggered the avalanche. Once again citing that it had been Naruto that had saved the day and had managed to secure Koyuki and keep her safe on his own. Though admitted that he didn't know the details of what had transpired between the two.

Then the masked man began to recount what had happened during the ambush, and how he had brushed off Naruto's warning about the possible ambush, shrugging it off as the blonde genin only wanting to make himself look better at the time and admitting his own failure to look underneath the underneath, as he had always preached. Though with no small amount of pride in his voice, he praised Naruto for not only having the foresight to predict such an ambush, but also saving the rebels from being slaughter by the Snow Shinobi forces that had set up the ambush to begin with.

Through it all, the elder village leader remained silent as the masked man finished his report. Taking a puff from his pipe, Hiruzen let out a long sigh, turning his gaze towards Kakashi.

"I have to say Jonin Hatake, I am very disappointed in your recent judgments." The Hokage began, though his expression softened a little. "However, I am thankful that you reported your failings honestly, and that your own report lined up with the scroll I just received from Princess Koyuki."

Kakashi remained silent, hanging his head down in shame, though was a little taken aback by the fact that the elder man had already received a report from the princess.

'_Of course, Naruto has snake summons.' _He mentally reminded himself.

"Regardless of your honesty, I'm afraid I must still punish you and Genin Uchiha for your recent misconduct." Hiruzen sighed. While punishing the masked jonin wasn't an issue, the village leader knew that the Elder Council would intervene in favor of the Uchiha boy.

"I understand, Hokage-sama." The silver haired man stated. "I accept any punishment you deem appropriate."

Nodding, Hiruzen thought a moment before an idea came to mind.

"Until Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan return, you will be temporarily demoted to Chuunin and serve as a gate guard."

'_That's not so bad.'_ Kakashi thought to himself.

"Furthermore, your pay will be cut in half." Hiruzen continued with a mischievous grin on his face, which worried the masked jonin. "You are also banned from reading any Icha Icha book during your punishment."

'_Okay, I can just leave it at home….'_

"And before you think you can just leave your book at home, it must be on you at all times." The Hokage grinned as he saw the masked pervert pale. "It wouldn't be much of a punishment if you could simply ignore it."

"I-I understand Hokage-sama." Kakashi relented, mentally crying anime tears of what he will have to endure the next few weeks.

"Very good, you are to report to the front gates tomorrow morning, at 7:00 in the morning." The elder man informed him. "And you will not be late."

"Understood." The masked jonin, now chuunin nodded before frowning. "What of Sasuke's punishment?"

Hiruzen frowned slightly, feeling that Kakashi was already going to slip back into his old ways and try and get the Uchiha boy out of being punished. However, that was quickly brushed aside at what the silver haired man said next.

"The Elder's will attempt to have his punishment swept under the rug."

"To be honest, I have half a mind to revoke his Shinobi liscense and seal his chakra for the stunt he pulled while in Yuki no Kuni." The Hokage sighed. "However, with the Chuunin Exams fast approaching, with no immediate replacement genin in need of a team, that would only serve to punish the other two team members. And as you have said, the Elder's will aim to sweep the incident under the rug."

"May I suggest something?" Kakashi inquired. "Have him do nothing but D-rank missions inside the village."

Hiruzen couldn't help but grin at the thought. It was perfect, since the Elder Council would be unable to interfere because it wouldn't be sanctioned as a punishment, just solo D-rank missions.

"I believe that will work." The Hokage agreed. "I do believe I heard Tsume complaining about her son being lazy about cleaning the Inuzuka kennels."

However, before they could continue talking a knock was heard from the doors.

"The Council requests you attend a meeting that has been called." A voice nervously called from the other side of the door.

"They probably saw Sasuke and myself returning alone and no doubt have questions or have jumped to conclusions." Kakashi speculated.

"Very well, let us go." Hiruzen sighed as he stood up to leave the office. "No doubt they will want to hear from you."

Nodding, the masked Jonin followed the village leader out of the office and down the corridor where the council chamber was.

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**Council Chambers**

Murmurs echoed throughout the large room as nearly the entirety of the all the council members were present, minus one. Mebuki Haruno, whom had to travel to the fire capital a few days ago to take care of family and business related issues that had been brought to her attention. It had appeared that her brother in law had been caught padding the numbers to make him look better in the eyes of his in-laws, possibly in hopes of them leaving the family business over to him when they eventually passed on. Now though, he was sitting in a cell for fraud, and the Haruno family was forced to take an accounting of every transaction the business had made.

However, the murmurings ceased once the large doors opened, revealing the Hokage, along with Kakashi next to him. The sight of the masked jonin brought a small smile to the face of the Elder's and a few of the civilian council members.

"Is there a reason why this meeting was called?" Hiruzen inquired, his tone clipped. Signifying he was not happy about yet another meeting being called behind his back.

"We heard that Hatake-san and Uchiha-sama had returned." Koharu stated. "And without the Haruno girl and the De… Uzumaki child."

"Both Sakura-chan, and Naruto-kun were requested to remain to attend to matters outside of the initial mission parameters." Hiruzen replied, leveling a glare at the lone female elder for her near slip up.

"And why would the actress request the Uzumaki brat to remain behind?" One of the few civilian council members that were still loyal to the Uchiha inquired. "Surely Uchiha-sama would have been able to handle any additional task she would have required."

Though it wasn't said, the implication that was implied prompted a few of the Shinobi clan heads narrow their eyes at the civilian counselor that had just spoke. Meanwhile, Hiruzen puffed his pipe as he contemplated just how much he should divulge. Letting out a mental sigh, as he knew even if he didn't want certain members to know, they would still find out regardless due to gossip and loose tongues.

"The reason why Princess Koyuki Kazahana, whom was using Yukie Fukikaze as an alias, requested Naruto and Sakura to remain behind was due to the two being the driving force of the mission's success." Hiruzen began, earning a series of gasps of shock upon learning the actresses real name. "As for Genin Uchiha, he is one of two people that have been banned from entering Yuki no Kuni, now named Haru no Kuni."

This sent the elders and a handful into an uproar, upon hearing that their prized Uchiha was banned from entering the country.

"Why was the Uchiha banned from the country?" Inquired Inoichi.

"And who is the second person banned?" Tsume added.

"Due to engaging in corporate sabotage, Jiraiya has also been banned from the country. Along with his Icha Icha book series." The elder man sighed. "As for Genin Uchiha, I will allow Kakashi to explain."

Nodding, the masked jonin stepped forward and begun to repeat his report of the mission. As expected, the elder's and the handful of civilian council members that were still in the Uchiha camp were none to pleased that Naruto was receiving such praise, and their vaunted Uchiha was being over looked. Crying foul when Kakashi had reported that the actions of the arrogant genin had nearly killed the princess in the process, if not for the blonde's quick thinking and fore sight.

"And that is why Sasuke Uchiha is banned from entering Haru no Kuni, and why the princess had request Naruto and Sakura to remain." The masked jonin sighed as the room erupted with shouts. Some defending the Uchiha and condemning Naruto.

"But surely this princess should have felt honored that Uchiha-sama was interested in her." The same civilian from before, as the room quieted down.

"In her own words, the Uchiha name holds no value in her land." Kakashi stated. "Add to the fact that he all but forced himself unto her, and nearly got her killed. Princess Koyuki holds no love for the boy."

"This is a grave issue." Hiashi stated, earning nods of agreement from his fellow clan heads. All of them knowing full well that such an incident could have lead to a war between the two countries. "What should the Uchiha boys punishment be?"

Before the village leader could answer, Homura interrupted.

"You-you can't possibly be serious about punishing Uchiha-sama." The spectacled elder stated. "Surely you can apologize on his behalf and perhaps get the princess to lift the unjust banishment from him, and we can work something out so as not to upset the boy."

"How much!?" Tsume growled at the elder man. "How much will it take before you stop licking that Uchiha brats ass crack!? Until we are plunged into war with another country or village due to the brats arrogance!?"

"The brat nearly killed the client due to the ego you all have given him, and now you are saying his banishment from the country was unjust!?" The Inuzuka matriarch continued. "The boy is lucky not to be executed!"

"Tsume has a point." Inoichi stated, agreeing with the feral woman. "It would have been well within the Princesses rights to execute the boy due to his actions."

"So what punishment should the Uchiha receive?" Hiashi inquired, ignoring the grumblings from across the table.

"As I told Kakashi, I have half a mind to revoke the boys shinobi status and seal his chakra." Hiruzen replied. "However, that would only serve to punish his team mates with the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

Hearing this, the three elders inwardly smiled. Feeling they have gotten their way.

"So, instead." Hiruzen grinned. "Genin Uchiha will be doing solo D-rank missions until Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan return. As I understand it, Tsume-dono, your son has been slacking off in cleaning the kennels?"

At this, the feral woman allowed an evil smirk to grace her lips. Knowing full well what the village leader was suggesting.

"Have the runt be there before six in the morning."

"Furthermore, as punishment. Genin Uchiha will not be receiving any pay for these missions." The Hokage added. "Now then, this meeting is adjourned."

Leaving no room for the other council members to speak out, the Hokage departed the room with Kakashi in tow, while those still favoring the Uchiha boy grumbled about not getting there way.

* * *

**Haru no Kuni (Formally Yuki no Kuni)**

Koyuki smiled lovingly as she looked down at the blonde beneath her. Arching her back in pleasure as she moved her hips back and forth, giving the blonde beneath her a good view of her ample chest in all it's glory, as sweat glistened on her exposed skin. Giving her a more angelic look. Reaching up, Naruto gently guided his angel back down to him, capturing her lips with his own as, eliciting a pleasured filled moan from the young princess. Breaking the kiss, she smiled as she gazed into his eyes, a glazed look of lust shined within her violet-blue eyes.

"And cut! That's a wrap!" The director yelled, earning a round of cheers and applause from the entire film crew as they had finally filmed the last scene for the movie. All that was left now was the post editing and such.

Smiling, Koyuki leaned back up and draped the blanket around her, so that the rest of the film crew didn't see her body. Though not moving from her position on top of her blonde mate. Before doing the scene, the princess/actress had insisted that the camera be set up in a way, that it only showed her back. Allowing only Naruto to see her bare chest.

"So, how does it feel to be a movie star, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked as she approached the two.

"Heh, I wouldn't say I am a movie star yet." The blonde chuckled from his position under the princess. "I could be the reason this movie bombs."

"I doubt it." Koyuki laughed. "You hit your marks perfectly."

"Just imagine, Naruto-kun having to run away from fans wanting his autograph." The pinkette giggled, eliciting a small giggle from the princess as well.

"So, shall we get dressed and get something to eat?" Naruto inquired. "Not that I mind being beneath such a beautiful angel."

Koyuki couldn't help but blush at the complement before leaning doing and giving him a sensual kiss.

"Actually." She whispered, just loud enough for the two to hear her. "I would like to continue this scene."

Smirking some, Sakura got the hint and gave her mate a wink before turning and issuing orders for everyone to clear the set. Ensuring that all the cameras were off, and the doors locked. The pink haired girl bid the two a good time before disappearing out the door, locking it behind her.

"Are you sure about this, Koyuki-hime?" Naruto asked, bringing his hand up to tenderly cup her cheek. Prompting her to lean into it.

"I am Naruto-kun." She smiled as she leaned in once more and kissed him deeply. One of which he eagerly returned.

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**!Warning!**

**Lemon Scene Ahead**

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Slowly, the blue haired woman began to kiss down the blondes body. Nipping every once and awhile, causing him to gasp in pleasure as she did so. As she got lower, she threw the blankets off of them, exposing both of them being mostly nude, only in their underwear. In Koyuki's case, a pair of dark blue, see through panties that gave the blonde hanyou a good view of her sensitive areas. Reaching her destination, she looked up at her blonde mate with a lecherous grin and slowly began to pull down his boxers. Revealing his already erect member, standing straight at an impressive nine inches.

Completely removing his boxers, Koyuki began to slowly stroke his member sensually, all the while smiling up at him before slowly, and teasingly lower her lips to his sensitive head. Licking it lightly before taking it into her mouth, eliciting a groan of pleasure from Naruto as he gently combed his fingers through her hair. Prompting her to take more of his length into her mouth. Swirling her tongue around his swollen member.

"That feels good, Koy-hime." He moaned. "But it's not fair if I am the only one that gets to feel good."

Before she could reply, the young princess found herself turned around with her crotch facing the blonde hanyou. Smirking as what he had in mind, she aided him in removing her panties before continuing to pleasure him with her mouth, a low moan erupting from her throat as she felt his tongue start to go to work on her sex.

On his end, Naruto had set to work, licking at the entrance of Koyuki's sanctum, while his fingers worked to increase her pleasure by playing with her clitoris with one hand, and using the other to gently probe inside her, all the while earning moans from the young princess; which in turn, caused her mouth to vibrate around his cock. Bringing the pleasure of her blow job even higher.

As they continued for another handful of minutes, as Naruto began to allow his tongue to enter her sex, sending her to the edge as she cried out as she could feel her climax nearing, as he continued to probe in and out of her. His fingers continuing their work only pushed her further.

"Naru-Naruto-kun." She gasped as she felt the pressure building up in her core. "I'm about to…."

"Let it out Koy-hime." He breathed, as he continued to work.

"Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed as her orgasm hit her with full force. Her eyes rolling in the back of her head momentarily she she collapsed on to of him. His hardened member still in her hand.

"Mmm tasty, Koy-hime." He smiled as he finished lapping up everything she had offered him.

Gently, he positioned the princess so that while she was still on top of him, he was looking directly in her eyes. Seeing them filled with lust, and a certain glow from her recent orgasm. Bringing her down, he captured her lips once more. Feeling her rub herself against his hardened member as they continued their battle of the tongues.

Breaking the kiss, Koyuki reached down and stroked his cock a few times before placing it at her entrance. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she slowly began to lower herself onto him. Stopping once she felt him hit her barrier. Looking down at the blonde, she could see the concern in his eyes. Giving him a soft smile, she took another breath before breaking the barrier as she impaled herself on his swollen member. Letting out a small cry of pain.

Immediately the blonde had sat up and wrapped his arms around her. Kissing away her tears as he rubbed her back, and softly combed his fingers through her hair. After a few minutes, the pain had subsided enough to allow her to move. Kissing him, to show her appreciation for his concern for her, she gently pushed him down as she began to gyrate her hips. Feeling him hit new spots within her.

As time passed, Koyuki began to quicken her pace until she was literally bouncing up and down on him as he cries of pleasure echoed through the empty set. Though it was clear she was becoming tired, as her leg muscles began to protest such actions. Seeing this, Naruto grinned and pulled her close. Kissing her as he rolled them over, allowing him to be on the top. Almost immediately, Koyuki wrapped her legs around him.

However, instead of continuing the fast pace she had set, the blonde had slowed down to strong rhythmic thrusts. Increasing the pleasure for the young princess as she began to moan louder into the kisses. Her arms holding the blonde hanyou as close to her as possible as the pleasure spread throughout her body.

"Koyuki-hime." Naruto panted. "I'm about to…."

"Me too, Naruto-kun." She whispered, kissing him once more. "Let it all out and mark my insides."

Kissing her deeply once more, he quickened his strokes as he felt his climax drawing closer. With one final push, burying himself as deeply as he could within her, she released his load. Causing her to cry out in pleasure as it triggered her own orgasm.

Gently, he removed himself from her and laid down next to the panting princess. Drawing her in close to him, which she eagerly accepted as she snuggled into his chest with a smile on her face.

"I love you, Naruto-kun." She smiled, letting out a sigh of contentment as she breathed in his scent. She really loved the blonde hanyou's musk, ever since that time they were stranded after the avalanche.

"And I love you, Koy-hime." He replied with a smile as he held her close.

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**This Chapter will now continue as scheduled.**

**Thank you for your patience.**

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Nearly an hour had passed as the two laid there. Naruto couldn't help but smile as he gazed down at the sleeping form of the princess. Gently, combing his lovers hair. Though he knew he should get her someplace more private. Knowing the last thing either of them needed was for some curious stage hand to walk in on them. Gently, he picked her up and shifted her into a bridal position before melting into the shadows.

Within the blink of an eye, the two arrived in the princesses private quarters. Walking over to the bed, Naruto summoned a shadow clone to prepare the bed before he set the sleeping princess down to allow her to sleep. However, before he could pull back to leave, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into bed with her.

"Stay." She murmured, half asleep.

Smiling, Naruto complied. Silently ordering the shadow clone to inform Sakura of the change of location.

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**Konoha, The Next Day**

"No! I absolutely refused to do this peasant work!" The arrogant Uchiha exclaimed before a grinning Tsume.

"Tough shit runt." She stated, her grin becoming feral. "Because your pathetic ass is mine. Now get to cleaning."

"Fuck you, bit-"

He never got to finished as the feral women was upon him in an instant, her clawed like fingers at his throat. A animalistic growl coming from her throat as she stared down at the now frightened Uchiha. Bringing him closer, she let out a curious sniff, before she leaned back and sniffed again. Looking down, she saw a dark and wet stream starting from the boys crotch and running down his leg. Dropping the boy, she let out a loud laugh at the boys embarrassment.

"Alright Mr. Pee Body, get to work." She ordered as she waited, and dared for him to lash out again.

Wisely, he chose not to and slowly began to set to work cleaning the first kennel. Which was a disaster zone. The brooding Uchiha could have sworn that the woman had fed the dogs something that caused them to shit everywhere, considering he couldn't see the floor of the kennel. However, as he made a step to enter the kennel further, he had managed to slip on a fresh pile of dog droppings causing him to slip. Desperately, he tried to catch himself, only to fall forward and fall face first into a fresh, warm pile of dog shit.

'_Damn you Naruto!'_ He mentally screamed. Placing all the blame on the blonde hanyou, refusing to accept that his current predicament was his own fault. And much to his misfortune, his suffering had only begun.

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**Additional Authors Notes:** Alright, first off, I know I said Fubuki would get some screen time during this chapter, but I decided to move it back for the next chapter. Mainly due to the scene between Naruto and Koyuki. So don't worry. Our pink haired snow angel will still get her chance to shine.

We also got to see Kakashi begin his redemption by being completely honest in his report, even admitting his own faults. Now he needs to actually make an effort to reconnect with both Naruto and Sakura. Which won't be easy, as stated, both hanyous don't really trust their supposed sensei.

Not to mention most of the council is beginning to get fed up with the constant favoritism shown to the Uchiha, to the point that the emo king has lost most of his support on the civilian council. With only a handful and the three Elder's still firmly in his camp, though they only do so, because they have ulterior motives.

As always, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to let me know what you think in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message.


	28. Chapter 28

**Authors Notes:** Alright, so this chapter took a bit to get started.

Couldn't really decide as to where to start it off. Knew what I wanted to cover, just not where to begin. But, I finally came up with something. So here it is! Just a heads up, this chapter and the next one is mostly going to be fluff chapters with Naruto being with his girls, and addressing some subplots.

Also been fending off additional plot bunnies that seem to pop up out of no where.

Anyways, last chapter Kakashi and Sasuke had made it back to the village, the latter not in a good mood and the former pondering his past actions. Thus beginning Kakashi's redemption, as well as his punishment. Poor Kakashi, having his precious book so close, yet so far away at the same time. It's going to be torture for him.

As for Sasuke, well, as we saw; he is getting to know the Inuzuka hounds a bit better. Even better that the Elder Council members can not get him out of it because it is not classified as a punishment, but a D-rank mission. Even if they are extremely degrading. I will be expanding on why the Elder's favor him in a later chapter here soon. It will makes sense….at least to me.

Not to mentioned he got banned from an entire country.

As for Naruto, well he finished his last scene for the movie and Koyuki had insisted on some private time. And no, there will be no secret tape circulating around of what they did on the set. Sakura ensured all cameras were off and unplugged. Now we get to see what else he has been up to, not to mention, finally giving Fubuki some of the spot light.

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**Review Corner**

_**BlackRoseDragon97 –**_ To be honest, most of the girls are added for fan service, and you are correct. Whether he means to or not, there always will be the ones he has more of a connection with. Like Anko and Yugao. Part of the reason why some of the bigger names have responsibilities that keep them out of the lime light. Mei being the new Mizukage, Tsunami being the new Wave Daimyo, and Koyuki being the Daimyo/Princess of the Land of Spring.

A big part of my challenge is that none of the girls get added off screen. Naruto actually has to meet and interact with them. Also, I have a reason behind why he attracts so many girls that will be revealed in a later chapter.

_**CrimsonStarBlade –**_ Actually, was already considering doing a few Omake's of Sasuke's punishment. Or rather, not Omake's, but bonus scenes. Which makes them cannon in this story. Though that Tora bit would be funny as an Omake.

_**Arbiter's Shadow –**_ Jashin will be making her next appearance during the month long during the Chuunin Exam's. At this time, Hiruzen will learn a few shocking things about those around him. Should be fun.

_**Rebmul –**_ Oh don't worry. Word will get around. Kiba isn't exactly quiet about such things, and Hana will talk with the other girls to get a good laugh.

_**Ariadne Venegas –**_ Sakura gets the most time with Naruto. Already implied they went at it on the boat road to the Land of Snow. So fear not, Sakura gets her time.

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – **_Yup, Kakashi will begin his redemption. It won't be easy, but at least he will start making a true effort.

_**YeagerMeister31 –**_ Yup, the only ones on the council that favor him now are a handful of the civilians, and the three Elders. Though the Elders, due to Danzo's influence is for an entirely different reason then trying to get him to bring back the Uchiha clan.

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**Spotlight**

_**United Whirlpool Empire**_ by animefreak42789

A nice Naruto/Bleach cross over with a dash of Call of Duty.

Starts off after the fight at the Valley of the End. However, Naruto is not recovered by Kakashi. Instead he is washed down the river and into the open ocean, only to be rescued by an unlikely group of people, and then learns a secret about himself.

Has great potential, so be sure to give it a read, and encourage animefreak to continue!

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**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Koyuki*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fubuki, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Isaribi, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

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**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 28

Fubuki never considered herself a girly girl. Always focusing more on her training as a kunoichi, instead of obsessing over her looks to catch the eyes of boys in her class. While the other girls were fussing over their hair and makeup, she was out improving her hyoton jutsus. When the rest of the girls in her class were spending their weekends at spas and salons, she would be in the training field practicing her taijutsu. So why now was her face doing a perfect impersonation of a tomato?

Because her hand was firmly being held by the blonde shinobi that had all but single handily saved her country and restored it's rightful ruler to her throne.

"Are you okay, Fubuki-chan?" Naruto inquired his impromptu date as he noticed the heavy blush on her face. Mentally chuckling as to how this had all come about. From the quick briefing he was told from Sakura, Fubuki had confided in Koyuki about her attraction towards the blonde. The end result, the young princess and pink haired hanyou had set the two of them up on a date at the last minute.

To add to the pinkette's embarrassment, Koyuki had insisted she wear something other then her typical battle ready gear. Gone was her chakra armor set up and hooded coat, instead she wore an elegant kimono, showing off her figure more then she would have liked. Even her wild hair had been done up in braided loops. The only piece of attire from her old outfit she had been allowed to wear was her hitai-ate, which now hung loosely around her neck.

"I'm fine." She replied, rather quickly. _'__I swear, Daimyo or not, I am going to get Koyuki back for this.'_

"If you say so." The blonde chuckled, causing the pink haired snow shinobi to scowl. Though the scowl softened when he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "So how about we kick off this date with a simple lunch?"

"Fine." Fubuki relented though with a small smile tugging at her lips. "There is a good restaurant just a few blocks away."

Nodding, the blonde hanyou lead his date through the bustling streets of now named Harugakure, formerly known as Yukigakure, due to the heat generator bringing spring to the country. Though after a bit of debate, it was decided that Koyuki would only have the generator on for six months out of the year, so as not to hurt local business and trades. Not to mention, allowing the citizens to become more acclimated to the new weather patterns brought on by the heat generator.

After walking for nearly twenty minutes, the duo arrived at their destination. A quaint looking cafe nestled in between two large buildings, making it easy to over look if one was not paying attention. Entering the establishment, the two were immediately hit with the scent of freshly baked pastries, along with a mixture of various coffee's, tea, and chocolate permeating through the air.

"Smells good in here." Naruto commented. Meanwhile, Ahri was salivating at the aroma in the blondes mindscape.

"It does." Fubuki smiles as the two sit down at a vacant table in the corner that had a chair on one side, and a bench seat on the other near the wall. "This was my parents favorite place to relax at. I'm glad it survived Doto-teme's reign."

A twinge of sorrow washing across her face at the memories of her parents. Seeing this, Naruto reached over the small table and reassuringly squeezed her hand to comfort her. Receiving a small smile from the pinkette at the gesture. Just before anything could be said, a waiter had arrived to take their orders. Fubuki had gone with a sweet roll filled with chocolate, and a mug of hot chocolate, while Naruto had gone with a simple hot strawberry and vanilla tea, with small baked rolls filled with cream cheese.

"Would you like to tell me about them?" Naruto inquired.

"My father was a doctor, probably one of the best in the hospital he worked at. He could diagnose what was wrong just at a glance. Taking his job very seriously." She began with a soft smile as she recalled her parents.

"And your mother?"

"She was a no nonsense kunoichi." The pinkette replied. "She took her career very seriously and trained hard, made sure I didn't become one of those useless fan girls that obsessed over looks when I began the academy."

"Something tells me there is a funny story as to how they met." Naruto grinned as he speculated that something, no doubt embarrassing for one of her parents, had happened to get them to meet one another.

"Well." Fubuki couldn't help but giggle slightly. "From what I was told, my mother had been training with her team mates when one of them accidentally set off an explosive tag next to where they had set their training kunai. As a result, when it went off, one of the kunai got impaled into my mothers rear."

"And as chance would have it, my father was the only doctor on duty at the time." The pinkette continued. "Usually with such an injury in a sensitive area, a female doctor would administer the treatment. But with no other female doctor on call, my father was forced to treat her."

"So, I am assuming that your father asked her out on a date shortly afterwards?" Naruto ventured. Taking a sip from his tea that had arrived, along with their other orders while Fubuki was reminiscing about her parents.

"Actually, from what my mother told me, she demanded that he take her on a date." She chuckled, taking a drink from her hot chocolate. "While she was grateful that he didn't even chuckle at her predicament, her pride demanded that he treat her to dinner for seeing her in such an embarrassing state."

"Sounds like a book worthy meeting." The blonde commented, prompting the pinkette to giggle once more.

"I just wish I could have saved them." She sighed, gaining a distant look in her eyes.

Seeing this, Naruto moved out of his seat and sat down on the bench and brought her into a firm hug as he rubbed his hand along her back in a comforting manner. Allowing her to bury her head into his chest as tears fell freely from her eyes at the memory of her parents.

"They loved you a lot." He finally spoke softly into her ear. "They knew what kind of bastard Doto-teme was, and they were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure you lived to see a better future for this country."

Gently lifting his hands to her face, he softly positioned her head to look him in the eye as he wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"And now look around you." He smiled softly at her. "With your information, we were able to remove Doto-teme from the throne and restore Koyuki-hime to her birth right and freed this country. You made this possible."

To punctuate his words, he lightly kissed her forehead, causing the poor girl to blush up a storm.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She smiled. "What about your parents?"

"Well." The blonde frowned slightly. "Both died the night I was born. My mother died to protect me, while my father….my father died trying to make me into a weapon for the village when he sealed the Kyuubi inside of me."

At this, Fubuki's eyes widened in shock.

With a small sigh, Naruto began to tell her the story of his life thus far. Finding out his father had intended to have him conditioned to be a mindless weapon for those who were power hungry within the village, and how he avoided such a future with the help of his precious few people. Namely his Hebi-hime, Anko and his Queen of Blades, Yugao. After a short debate with himself mentally, he had even decided to reveal his encounter with Jashin as well. Citing that she was the main reason he was able to avoid such a fate and how she gave him her blessing, and made him her champion.

This bit had caught the pink haired kunoichi by surprise, as she had always thought that Jashin was a being of malice and carnage. Though the way the blonde before her had described the goddess, as she had learned, Jashin seemed more of a chaotic neutral agent in the grand scheme of things. As Naruto had explained that the goddess desired the souls of corrupted individuals, and stating that the bastard Doto was now suffering in her realm. Which made the pinkette feel a bit better, knowing the tyrant would get no peace, not even in death.

Naruto had then gone on to tell Fubuki how Jashin had changed him into a hanyou to help him escape the beatings the villagers would organize for him with his new abilities, and how he had met his first mate, Anko whom had come to his defense during such an attack. Of course this lead him to explain just how his mate mark worked, and what it all entailed.

"Koyuki-hime is one of your mates, isn't she?" Fubuki inquired with a slight blush.

"Yeah, she is." The blonde replied honestly. "She asked to be marked a week ago."

"So that means she is also a hanyou, just like you and Sakura-san?" She asked in a low voice, ensuring the waiters of the establishment couldn't over hear what was being said. It really didn't need to get out that the princess who now sat on the throne was a half demon.

"That is correct." Naruto stated softly. "Right now, Sakura-chan is helping her with her new shadow abilities."

"Ca-can you mark me too?" She stuttered with a blush.

"Are you sure you want me to?" The blonde asked in a serious tone. "Like I said, this would be a lifetime bond spanning hundreds of years, if not more."

He received his answer in the form of a deep kiss initiated by the pink haired kunoichi. Probing his lower lip with her tongue, begging for entrance. Which he allowed, as he returned her kiss. Letting his tongue battle hers for dominance. After a few seconds the couple broke the kiss, with Naruto smiling at the now flustered Fubuki.

"Very well." He smiled before turning his attention towards the waitress and requested the check.

Paying the tab, and leaving a nice tip he got up and held out his hand towards the pinkette, whom took it. Allowing him to help her to her feet, before being lead out of the small cafe. Both feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Wrapping her arm around his in an affectionate manner as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

After walking around for another twenty minutes, the two found themselves alone in the middle of a spacious park, full of sakura trees and various other foliage that was coming to life with the arrival of spring within the country. Giving it a beautiful setting. Smiling softly, he turned towards his pink haired date, bring her in close as he wrapped his arms around her waist, prompting her to return his embrace.

"Are you ready, Fubuki-hime?"

Receiving a nod in confirmation, he watched as the young woman closer her eyes. Leaning in, he bit down on her shoulder, causing her to gasp slightly as he began to pump his hanyou chakra into her. Out of instinct, she bit down on his shoulder as well. Allowing their chakras to mix, and in the process, accepting his mark. After a handful of seconds, they released each other.

"Welcome to the family, Fubuki-hime." He smiled. "How do you feel?"

"I feel…." She thought for a moment as she reached out with her senses. Her ears were a bit more sensitive, picking up the sounds of birds singing, and people chatting amongst themselves in the distance. He sense of smell had also increased, allowing her to smell the tea on the blondes breath as if it were freshly brewed in front of her. "Incredible."

"Come, I'll give you a crash course in how to utilize your hanyou abilities." Naruto smiled, before going into an explanation on how to use her new abilities. Going over their uses and practicality in combat and other survival encounters.

* * *

**Uzumaki Compound, ****Later Afternoon**

Laughter and chatter filled the Uzumaki household as the girls who resided there had gathered for the evening for dinner and to catch up and bond with one another. Ayame had come over earlier in the afternoon to help cook for all of the girls. Unsurprisingly, she whipped up a massive batch of ramen for dinner for all the girls. Though Anko had snuck in some dango as well. Sitting at the massive table in the dinning room were Anko, Yugao, Haku, Ayame, Hinata, Hanabi, Hana, Izumi, and Yakumo. The latter two surprisingly sitting close to one another as they. Their topic, Naruto of course.

The purple haired swords mistress couldn't help but smile at the way the two were interacting. Especially considering their history with one another, albeit not by their own choice. Leaning over, she whispered something into the snake mistresses ear, causing Anko to take a glance towards the two young ladies and flash her own trademark grin.

"Seeing them like that, you wouldn't think that the two of them had such an unfortunate history with one another." Anko commented in a low tone, so that only Yugao could hear her, who nodded in confirmation.

When the two had first met under Izumi's insistence, it had been a tense moment for those in the room at the time. In the Uchiha's own words, she would rather address if there would be any issues with one another early, before it became more severe. In other words, before Izumi got too comfortable within the house hold, with this new family.

Understandably, Yakumo had been rightfully upset at the Uchiha girl that had begged for forgiveness from the genjutsu prodigy in her part to isolate the girl for Danzo to claim, and had caused the girl much grief as a result. However, what Yakumo did next had surprised the former ROOT member. She brought her into a hug. Merely stating that this is what Naruto would have wanted. Not to mention, the young genjutsu prodigy had also been informed about the seals that are placed on ROOT members, as she almost had one on herself if not for the blonde hanyou's intervention.

"It helps that they have a common interest." The queen of blades chuckled slightly.

"So we got two new prospective sister-wives." The snake mistress teased, though loud enough that the entire table heard her. Earning a round of giggles from the other girls, with the two insinuated soon to be 'sister-wives', blushing madly.

"So Anko-chan, seeing as you are the most experienced out of all of us;" Hana spoke up with a feral like grin. "How is Naruto-kun?"

While it wasn't outright said, the implication hung heavily in the air as all the girls quieted down and turned their attention towards Anko. After a few seconds, the snake mistress allowed a mischievous grin to grow on her lips.

"And just what do you want know about exactly?" She asked. "Are you wondering how well endowed his is? How good he is with his tongue? Or perhaps how long he can go?"

Each question the snake mistress asked only served to cause all the girls to blush like crazy. Izumi and Yakumo developing a slight nosebleed as impure thoughts entered their minds.

"Hinata-chan knows what I am talking about." Anko singled out the Hyuga heiress, whom only returned the snake mistresses grin.

"Of course." Hinata replied. "Just you, me, and Naruto-kun. Celebrating his entrance into the CRA."

Three thumps were heard as both Hanabi, Izumi and Yakumo had fainted as the minds overloaded with perverted thoughts of the blonde.

"Kind of reminds me of your academy days, Hinata-chan." Anko teased the Hyuga heiress, whom only pouted in return. Not wanting to be reminded of how shy she used to act.

"So, Hana-chan." Yugao called out, catching the Inuzuka woman's attention. "Any particular reason you are asking?"

"Is Hana-chan thinking of taking it to the next level with Naruto-kun?" Haku chimed in with a teasing smirk of her own, though a blush still evident on her face.

"I-I don't know." The Inuzuka replied, a little bit embarrassed. She had initially asked to tease the snake mistress and didn't expect to have the tables turned on her in such a fashion, now putting her in the spotlight.

Though in truth, the brunette hanyou had put serious thought into taking things to the next level with her mate. As she felt she was emotionally ready for the next step, not to mention her Inuzuka instincts were screaming at her to mate with her alpha. Of course hearing Anko reminisce about how good their mate was didn't exactly calm her instincts down any either.

"Hana-chan," Yugao spoke, catching the girls attention. "If you are ready, then go for it."

Anko nodded in agreement, in one of her rare moments of being serious.

"To fully answer your question Hana-chan, Naruto-kun is sweet and caring, especially if it's your first time." The snake mistress stated. "Though, if your clan instincts need to be sated, he can easily accommodate for that as well. Jashin knows how many times I have goaded him into dominating me in the bedroom."

Hana could only blushed in response, though smiled none the less. Appreciative of how supportive her future sister-wives were. Despite the teasing they did to one another. It was around this time that the three who had fainted begun to stir and regain their bearings. Each still carrying a blush upon their faces as they retook their spots at the table.

"When's Naruto-kun suppose to return?" Ayame inquired, missing her favorite customer and mate.

"They'll be leaving Haru no Kuni tomorrow afternoon, so probably another week." Anko answered.

"Unless they use their Shadow Step ability, then they will be here tomorrow." Yugao added.

"That's true." The snake mistress commented as she took a bite out of one of her dango. "I can't wait, I miss my foxy-kun."

This earned a series of giggles from the girls around the table, seeing the usual tough as nails kunoichi show such softness. Though all of them understood just how much the blonde hanyou meant to the snake mistress. Despite their circumstances of coming together, he was the first to actually make an effort to bond with her and get to know her on a personal level.

'_Just you wait Foxy-kun.'_ Anko smiled to herself. _'Soon as you get back, we are making up for lost time.'_

* * *

**With Kakashi**

The masked former jonin, now chuunin let out a bored sigh as he leaned against the large gate post of the village. Kakashi was no stranger to having to wait long periods of time, but usually he had his favorite orange book to keep him entertained. However, due to his punishment he was unable to read it. Though his fingers twitched dangerously close to the pocket that held his treasured book, before he pulled his hand away.

To make matters worse for the disgraced jonin sensei, his rival, Maito Gai had come through not too long ago and upon seeing the silver haired man on guard duty and had immediately asked as to why his 'Eternal Rival' was not with his team training them. Which Kakashi had honestly replied and admitted to his own sins and failures as their sensei, earning himself a passionate speech of his 'unyouthfulness'. Followed by a declaration by the green spandex wearing man that he would do an ungodly amount of mundane and extreme exercises until Kakashi got his youthfulness back.

Kicking up from the post, the silver haired shinobi walked over to the guard post and sat at the desk that had been provided for the guards on duty. However, as he entered the small shack, he noticed something sitting on the desk. A simple book. Frowning slightly, he quickly flared his chakra to dispel any henge that may have been placed over the suspicious book, not trust that one of the ANBU, namely Neko, would plant a copy of Icha Icha, just to prank him.

However, nothing had happened. Satisfied that the book was not a trap, he picked it up and looked it over.

'_Demon Heart.'_ Kakashi noted. _'That is the name of the movie Koyuki was going to be filming.'_

With a shrug, the silver haired shinobi sat down and opened the book. After all, he was only told he couldn't read his Icha Icha books. Nothing was said about any other book, and if one of his students was going to be in the movie, he may as well get to know the story before the movie comes out.

"Thought you weren't allowed to read." A voice broke the masked shinobi out of his musings.

"I'm not allowed to read any of my Icha Icha Paradise books, Izumo." Kakashi corrected his replacement.

"About time you started reading something other then that smut." The brown haired chuunin commented with a chuckle, earning a light glare from the masked pervert.

"At least he chose a good book." Kotetsu stated as he approached the two. "Hell Kakashi, I think your the only one in the village that hasn't picked up that book series. Even Hokage-sama has been reading it."

"Then you two will be pleased to know that the actress Fujikaze will be starring in a movie based off these books." The silver haired man informed the two with his trademark eye smile, using the princesses alias. Not to mention, one of his own students would be in the movie as well.

At this revelation, both of the eternal gate guards had a look of shock.

"But I thought she was suppose to be in the Icha Icha movie that Jiraiya-sama had been bragging about." Kotetsu commented.

"Well, during the mission, she had got in contact with the author of the Demon Heart books, and he gave her permission to do the film based off his books." Kakashi informed the two, since it wasn't really classified. "As for Jiraiya-sama, I don't know the details but he was found guilty in engaging in corporate sabotage. From what I know, he intercepted the letter addressed to Kitsune."

"Well, shit." Izumo stated, blinking slightly at the news. "I am sure Fujikaze is relieved not to have to be in such a film."

"You have no idea." Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of how the princess reacted when she revealed, with great pleasure, that the Icha Icha movie had been canceled. "Anyways, I am off."

Bidding their good byes, the two Eternal Gate Guards watched as the masked shinobi left, his nose firmly in the book that had been left on the desk. Though it was at that moment, both of the guards realized something.

"Um Izumo, I think that was your book." Kotetsu pointed out, earning a string of curses from his partner.

* * *

**With Sasuke**

"Damn runt, you work like shit." Tsume prodded the irate Uchiha, whom had only finished cleaning four kennels in the span of a day. The Inuzuka matriarch was less then pleased with the progress the boy had made. Even Kiba got it done faster.

"Shut up!" The arrogant Uchiha exclaimed, seething at the feral woman. "I hate these fucking mutts!"

So far, the poor Uchiha had slipped multiple times in the mess left by the dogs, causing his cloths to be full of dog feces and urine. To make matters worse, one time after he had slipped and fell, one of the canines had decided to show the Uchiha just what it thought of the boy and urinated on his back.

"Mind your tongue runt, or you'll be eating dog food." Tsume threatened with a growl. "You still have 18 more kennels to go, now get the lead out!"

Sasuke could only grumble to himself about how he was going to have all the mutts put down and skinned to be used as rugs in his compound, and how he was going to put the bitch of a woman in her place beneath him as well as her daughter for good measure to teach them to cross a Uchiha. Unfortunately for the vaunted last Uchiha, he forgot one minor thing about Inuzuka's. They had exceptional hearing.

Thus, he found himself planted face first in another pile of dog shit, courtesy of Tsume smacking him in the back of the head.

'_Damn Inuzuka bitch.' _He mentally seethed. _'I'll teach that bitch to humiliate an Uchiha Elite.'_

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap!

A bit of a slower chapter compared to the others, and for that, I apologize.

But I kind of wanted to peek in on what the girls were doing, and how both Kakashi and Sasuke were handling their respected punishments. We can see Kakashi was itching to pull out his favorite book, before finding a copy of Demon Heart, and we also learned that Kakashi had 'borrowed' Izumo's book. As for Sasuke, well; he is going to need a shower, badly.

As for the girls, we saw that Hana is looking to take her relationship with our favorite little hanyou to the next level. However, I will state that there will not be a lemon scene with her. The next scene will be with Yugao, whom has waited patiently for her wedding night. Not to mention that both Izumi and Yakumo have addressed their issues, I will be doing a flash back scene in a later chapter on how that went down.

Anyways, please let me know your thoughts in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message!


	29. Chapter 29

**Authors Notes:** It's almost time, the Chuunin Exams are closing in and will begin in the next chapter!

Though, there will be one more fluff chapter before the Chuunin Exams officially get under way, this one. Which, I have plenty to go over and touch on in this chapter. A certain special event for a very special Snake Mistress. As well as some small events involving Sakura and Hinata….no, not like that! Perverts! You'll see what I have in mind.

Not going to lie, this chapter actually gave me a bit of a hard time. With trying to map out the flow from scene to scene, and the time skips involved. All to get ready for the next chapter, which will officially kick off the Chuunin Exams!

Anyways, last chapter we got the long awaited date between Naruto and Fubuki, which also gave a bit of a look into her back ground, and of course at the end of it all, she got marked at her own request. As well as taking a peek in on the rest of the Uzumaki household and how the girls are doing. Along with some teasing between the girls.

Not to mention taking a peek on how Kakashi and Sasuke are doing with their respected punishments. Speaking of which, Kakashi seemed to have found a new book to read in place of his beloved Icha Icha, while as Sasuke, well, Sasuke still has a few lessons to learn about Inuzuka women. Originally, I was going to have Yugao drop off the book, but since I already had her in the Uzumaki compound, I figured it would be funny if Kakashi "borrowed" the book that Izumo had left on the table.

Warning, this chapter will have multiple time jumps and short segments.

* * *

**!Challenge!**

_**Namie Uzumaki**_ has issued a challenge!

Two in fact.

_**Star Wars/Naruto Challenge –**_ Fem!Naruto encounters Anakin and Obi Wan whom had ended up in the Elemental Nations somehow. Seeing the two warriors in trouble, she jumps to their aid, unaware of the consequences as a certain Chosen One becomes obsessed with her.

How the two Jedi arrive in Naruto's world is at the authors discretion, as well as if they return to a galaxy far far away, and if Fem!Naruto falls to the dark side or not.

_**Requirements –**_ Fem!Naruto/Anakin, Anakin becomes obsessed with Fem!Naruto

_**My Hero Academa/Naruto Challenge –**_ Fem!Naruto gets transported to the world of My Hero Academa during her fight with Sasuke during their initial battle in the Valley of the End, that opens a vortex and sucks her in. Becoming a hero in her own way, she sets out to help others, even though she has no license.

_**Requirements –**_ Fem!Naruto

If anyone takes up these challenges, let me know so I can pass the news along to the initial person who issued these challenges. And also, because I would love to see what you come up with.

As for why I am not taking these challenges, well, I already have upwards to ten other Naruto stories I have planned for the future. So good luck everyone.

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**VFSNAKE –**_ Senpai has noticed me! Glad you are enjoying the story, and yes, the Uchiha will suffer more. As for Jiraiya, we will see his reaction during the Chuunin Exams. After a certain Hot Springs incident that involve Naruto's girls.

_**Agnar –**_ The simple answer, plot device.

The more expanded answer, Danzo manipulates things from behind the curtains to subtly move things his way. Remember, he has that eye of his that can cast a genjutsu over others, however he does use it sparingly to not attract attention to himself. He wants to keep the Uchiha in the village and complacent so he can utilize his Sharingan later to subdue the other Jinchuriki.

_**Devonm0 –**_ Ah buck up, Sasuke is going to be built up a little during the Chuunin Exams. He will still take some blows to his ego, but won't be the butt of the jokes as much. Besides, he needs to become the antagonist for the second act coming up.

Besides, all this leads up to his utter hate for Naruto due to our blonde hanyou always showing him up at every turn and taking from him what he believes is rightfully his.

_**Biginferno –**_ Well, he hasn't learned his lesson around Tsume, so chances are high he will end up making a comment around the wrong girl and get castrated or something.

_**PraetorXyn –**_ I love seeing Minato be the bad guy, which will be a common theme for most of my stories, with the exception of a few. Also, he just makes a good bad guy. Speaking of Minato, he will be making an appearance during the Exams, I am sure you can guess when he will show up.

_**Fernando Verdus –**_ I am looking forward to writing my take on the Chuunin Exams as well. Have a lot of things planned during this time frame. Some good, some bad, and some surprising. But all fun.

_**Random Guest –**_ I already have a mild Kingdom Hearts cross over story with Remember Me. Also, I just recently started playing the Kingdom Hearts games, so I am not knowledgeable enough to write a full fledged cross over story with all of the characters.

As for the Omake, yes, I plan to have Sasuke bring out his weapon again.

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Fubuki*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Koyuki*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Isaribi, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

With that being said, on with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 29

**Haru no Kuni**

It had been an enjoyable three weeks for the four figures that now stood at the massive gates of the village. Naruto had treated all three of them to separate dates throughout the week, though his date with Koyuki had garnered the most attention from the populace. Though the two of them should have expected that, since it was their own Daimyo out with a young man in an intimate manner. However, since the young man in question was viewed as a hero throughout the land, many had rejoiced at the fact that the young princess had landed such a fine young man. Aside from treating his girls, Naruto had also managed to sneak away for a few hours alone and acquired some souvenirs. A few that would be very special to a few of his girls in the very near future.

"Do you two really have to go?" Koyuki huffed, earning a small chuckle from the blonde hanyou.

"I'm afraid so, Koyuki-hime." Naruto replied as he cupped her cheek in an affectionate manner, prompting her to lean into his touch. "We've already been here for three weeks, not to mention both Sakura-chan and I have to be ready for the Chuunin Exams that starts in another three weeks."

Koyuki merely nodded sadly, still not wanting her mate to go.

"Cheer up Koyuki-chan." Sakura smiled, catching the princesses attention. "You'll get to see us again during the finals, then you can meet the other girls."

At this, the young ruler couldn't help but smile. Since hearing about the other girls that were in her mates life, she had been interested in meeting with them. Especially the one named Anko, whom she had learned from Sakura was Naruto's first mate, and no doubt had interesting tales to tell of the blonde hanyou. Fubuki on the other hand was interested in meeting with Haku, and compare hyoton jutsus.

"We'll be there." Fubuki stated with a small smile.

"Um, Naruto-kun," Koyuki blushed. "Could you perhaps make a stop at the port we departed from in Tetsu no Kuni, and give these to those two children?"

In her hand were two autographed posters of the upcoming movie both of them were in, though these particular poster only showcased the Demon Queen that Koyuki had portrayed in the film. Smiling, Naruto gently took them.

"As you wish." He replied.

With one last bid farewell, the blonde embraced both of the girls into a firm hug, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks before he returned to his team mate, before finally sinking into the shadows to make their first stop to drop off the autographed posters for the children before heading home.

* * *

**Konoha Gates, A Few Hours Later**

It had been a dull afternoon for the Eternal Gate Guards. Even more so for Izumo since Kakashi had 'borrowed' his book and had yet to return it, which caused the brown haired Chuunin to grumble in complaint. With little else to do, the man blankly stared at the long path that lead into the village. Squinting slightly as he saw two figures approaching the gates at a leisurely pace. As the two travelers neared, Izumo could finally make out the distinct pink and blonde haired individuals with black low lights.

"Hey Kotetsu, look who it is." He called out to his partner and best friend while gesturing at the approaching duo.

"So their finally back." The other chuunin chuckled. "Kakashi is going to be happy when he learns of this."

"Maybe I'll finally get my book back." Izumo grumbled again, earning another laugh from his friend.

"Welcome back Naruto." Kotetsu greeted the blonde as him and Sakura finally reached the massive gates. "And Sakura."

"Still haven't moved up in rank I see." The blonde hanyou teased the two guards. "I swear, I am going to make jonin before you two do."

"Why move up when we're comfortable right here?" Izumo shot back with a laugh.

"Exactly." His best friend agreed as he signed in the two returning genin. "Pay is good, the missions are safe, and we are the first to meet new people entering our village."

"You two do make a good argument for your laziness." Naruto grinned. "Anyways, we need to check in with the old man, try not to work too hard."

Their banter done, Naruto and Sakura departed for the Hokage tower to deliver the scroll to finalize the alliance between the two countries and give their own oral report of what had transpired after Kakashi and Sasuke had left, leaving the Eternal Gate Guards to their work or rather, lack thereof. Though both had agreed that Naruto's part in the movie would remain a surprise for the old man.

It only took the two hanyou a handful of minutes to cross the village, via rooftop, and arrive at their destination. Ignoring the glares sent his way from the secretary, Naruto quickly made his way up the flight of stairs, with his pink haired mate right behind him. Arriving at a large pair of wooden doors, the blonde knocked before entering.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan." Hiruzen smiled as he saw the two genin. "You're back."

"Yep." The blonde replied with a grin. "And as you know, mission was a success. Here are the documents to finalize the alliance between Konoha and Haru no Kuni."

Taking the scrolls, Hiruzen opened them up and began reading over the treaty that had been drawn up. Looking over the various trade proposals, taxation, and the usual boring, though important bits of detail regarding the over all treaty and partnership. However, the elder village leaders eyes nearly popped out of their socket's when he read the last bit of the treaty. A political marriage between one Koyuki Kazahana with one Naruto Uzumaki.

'_I wonder if this is what the princess had in mind when she requested the two of them to stay behind?'_ The Hokage couldn't help but wonder. Looking up, he could see Naruto sheepishly scratching the back of his head, while Sakura was struggling, and failing, to hold in a tirade of giggles.

"Are you going to leave any women for the rest of the male population, Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen couldn't help but tease his surrogate grandson.

"Maybe?" The blonde in question shrugged. It wasn't as if he went out of his way to seduce the women who were interested in him, he merely did what he thought was right. "So how have things been here in the village, council still giving you a hard time?"

"Well, some were less then pleased to learn that Sasuke has been banned from Haru no Kuni." Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples at the reminder of that particular headache. "Those still firmly in the boys camp have been trying non-stop to come up with a means to have him allowed back into the country. Even going as far as to offer him in a political marriage. Though thankfully, his supporters on the council have dwindled since the CRA fiasco."

"Well, those idiots are going to hate the fact that Koyuki-hime is engaged to me now." Naruto stated with a slight chuckle as he imagined the three elders blowing a gasket when they inevitably learned of the blonde hanyous relationship with the princess they desired to present their vaunted Uchiha to. "Speaking of which, could you summon Anko-chan for me, Ji-ji?"

"Very well, though I also need to summon Kakashi as well now that you're back." The Hokage stated, earning a nod from the blonde.

"Good, I want an audience for what I am planning." Naruto grinned, earning a chuckle from Sakura and a raised eyebrow from the elder village leader.

"Very well, Neko!" He called out, immediately the female ANBU appeared in front of his desk, standing at attention. "Have Kakashi and Anko report to my office immediately, please."

With a quick nod, the purple haired ANBU disappeared in a swirl of leaves to carry out her orders. Though not before giving her blonde mate a quick nod in greeting, which the young hanyou returned. A handful of minutes passed before the requested figures were present, with Anko immediately jumping and latching onto Naruto with a deep kiss, having missed him due to his mission that had extended to over a month. However, what stood out to both Sakura and Naruto was the book their sensei now had his nose buried in.

"Ahem." Hiruzen coughed, catching Anko and Naruto's attention, breaking them out of their impromptu make out session, though the snake mistress was about to open her mouth to say something before Hiruzen cut her off. "And before you ask Anko, you may not borrow my desk for a few hours."

"Damn." She muttered in disappointment, earning a serious of blushes and perverted giggling from the other occupants in the room.

"Moving on, Kakashi Hatake." The elder man began, prompting the masked jonin to lower the book he was reading and focused his attention towards the Hokage. "As Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan have returned, you are now released from your punishment."

Kakashi merely nodded in acknowledgment, though both Naruto and Sakura looked confused. Seeing this, the masked jonin explained.

"Due to my negligence and mishandling of the latest mission, I was temporarily demoted and assign gate duty, as well as being banned from reading my Icha Icha books."

"Well, that explains why you were reading Demon Heart." Sakura commented with a small giggle, prompting the silver haired jonin to sheepishly scratch the back of his head.

"Anyways, Naruto, Sakura." Kakashi began. "I have not been the sensei you needed me to be. So much so that Naruto had taken over your training, Sakura and turning you into a respectable kunoichi. For that, I apologize for my blatant favoritism I played over my students."

Sakura, Anko, and Naruto were all a bit taken aback by the jonin's apology. With his actions in the past regarding the vaunted Uchiha, the three hanyou were not expecting such an apology from the silver haired man, let alone admittance that he was in the wrong. However, Naruto could feel no deceit in his voice.

Turning to look at his pink haired mate, whom nodded in acceptance, Naruto turned his attention towards the now bowing form of Kakashi.

"Apology accepted Taida-sensei." He grinned. "Though I think it should be fitting if the three of us at least start over with introduction this weekend."

"Why over the weekend?" Kakashi inquired, earning himself a pointed look from Anko and unknown to him, Yugao as well.

"Because I have been gone for over a month." Naruto deadpanned. "I do believe my girls would love to spend some time with me."

"Damn straight, and we're making up for lost time." Anko grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest with a cute pout.

"Speaking of which, Anko-chan." Naruto smiled as he turned towards his snake mistress, feeling a sense of anxiety and nervousness falling over his first mate. Reaching into his pocket, he griped the item he desired, and slowly dropped to one knee in front of the usually energetic snake mistress, who now had her hands covering her mouth as tears began to pool around her brown eyes, and presented the now open box towards to purple haired hanyou. Exposing an intricately designed ring that appeared to be a snake coiling around the stand, with it's mouth holding a blood red ruby.

"Anko-chan, my Hebi-hime." Naruto began with a smile as he looked up at his mate. "You've been with me since the beginning, and I want you to be with me until the end of time as my love and my mate. What I am asking, is will you marry me?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed as she allowed her blonde mate to slide the ring onto her left hand ring finger, while tears streamed down her face. Pulling Naruto up and engulfing him in a firm hug as her lips hungrily claimed his as she continued to cry due to the swirl of emotions she was feeling.

After a few minutes had passed, Anko had finally reigned in her emotions, though she was still sniffling slightly before she cast a glare towards the other two men in the room.

"You two saw nothing." She hissed threateningly. "If I hear so much as a peep from either of you about this, I swear, I will hang you both by your intestines and beat you like I am playing Suikawari, are we clear?"

"Crystal." Hiruzen gulped, while Kakashi merely silently nodded in agreement. "Anyways, Kakashi. You and your team have a week off starting tomorrow. Be sure to let Genin Uchiha know."

"It will be done, Lord Hokage." Kakashi bowed.

"Very well, dismissed." The village elder stated.

With a nod, Kakashi bid his two returning students farewell and disappeared in a swirl of leaves to relay the message to the Uchiha boy, whom was no doubt still knee deep in dog shit.

"Is there something else you needed, Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen inquired, seeing as the blonde and Sakura had yet to leave his office.

"Actually there is." Naruto stated as he glanced at his pink haired mate. "I would like to request that Anko-chan and myself take Sakura-chan out tomorrow afternoon to get blooded."

"I see no problem with it, but why not ask Kakashi?"

"While his apology is sincere, having your first kill is best done with someone you fully trust." Naruto pointed out. "And I doubt I need to recount our past experiences with our sensei."

"Point taken." Hiruzen nodded in agreement. Knowing full well that taking your first life was mentally draining and emotionally challenging and is usually best done with those you care about and have a mutual trust with as back up. It also helped to be with those who you love, and given the blondes relationship with the pink haired kunoichi, it really was best to send them out as a team. Which gave him an idea.

"Very well, tomorrow I am going to send you three along with Team 8, and Neko to clear out a few bandit camps just north of the village."

"Understood Ji-ji/Hokage-sama." Both Naruto and Sakura replied, with Anko giving her own mock salute.

"Well shall we, Mrs. Uzumaki?" Naruto asked his now official fiance with a smile, extending his hand towards her. With a grin of her own, she took his hand into her own and lead the blonde from the office with Sakura behind them, chuckling at her sister wife's antics.

* * *

**Uzumaki Compound, One Hour Later**

"We're home!" Anko called out as the trio entered the compound.

They would have arrived sooner, but Naruto had decided to stop by and get some ramen, and visit with Ayame. Knowing the 'Ramen Queen' would punish him severely if he didn't let her know he was back. While the blonde hanyou did that, Sakura had reluctantly stopped by her mothers home, if only to keep up appearances. Fortunately for the pinkette, her mother was still preoccupied with the mess her brother in law had created, allowing the pink haired hanyou to let her mother know she was back in the village, and disappear without any resistance or unwanted encouragement to pursue the last Uchiha.

"Welcome home, Naruto-kun." Haku smiled as she came to greet them, followed by Yakumo and Izumi. The ice mistress planting a loving kiss on the blondes lips, prompting the other two girls to blush at the display of affection.

"Hana-chan, Hinata-chan, Ayame-chan, Yugao-chan, and Hanabi-chan should be by later this evening for dinner." Haku informed her mate.

"Yeah, I stopped by and let Ayame-chan know I was back." Naruto chuckled before her turned his attention to the other two women standing there.

"Izumi-chan, please allow me to formally welcome you to my home." The blonde stated, causing the fallen Uchiha girl to blush, though offered him a shy smile none the less. "Give me a few moments to settle in, and I will remove that seal from the back of your neck."

"I.. thank you." The raven haired woman replied. Feeling a sense of warmth in her chest as she looked upon her blonde host. Despite her initial mission to investigate and neutralize the blonde boy, he had been forgiving and friendly towards her. Even his girls, his mates as he called them had helped her when she needed someone the most.

"And how are you settling in, Yakumo-chan?" Naruto turned his attention towards the budding genjutsu mistress.

"I am doing fine, Naruto-kun." She smiled with a faint blush. "Kurenai-sensei has been stopping frequently to continue my training in genjutsu, and I have made a new friend in Izumi-chan."

"That's good to hear." He smiled.

He was proud of his two new house guests, that despite the history between the two girls, albeit not of their own volition, that they had managed to put the past behind them without his intervention and form a true friendship with one another. Something he knew both of them needed desperately. With Yakumo being ostracized from her own clan, and Izumi being mentally conditioned from her time in ROOT.

"Anyways, I am going to unpack and get settled in." The blonde notified the girls. "Yakumo-chan, could you please bring Izumi-chan to the sealing room?"

"Of course, Naruto-kun." Yakumo replied before turning and leading the former ROOT member towards the room that the blonde had helped her settle her issues with her own inner demon at the time. Though, with how Ido had continued to tease her over her growing crush on the young teen, she was beginning to doubt her choice to accept the demon as a part of her.

It didn't take long for Naruto to unpack, mainly because he cheated and had his shadow clones do it, while he made his way through the compound towards the sealing room. He wanted to get that seal off of Izumi as soon as possible, not knowing if it could still be activated or not, and he really didn't want to take any chances.

Arriving, he was met with both girls sitting idly and chatting with one another, their backs to the door. The subject matter was of himself of course, causing him to smirk as neither had realized he had arrived yet.

"Any ideas?" Izumi asked the budding genjutsu mistress, as both girls were trying to plan on how to approach their host, and in both of their cases, their savior, about their growing crushes on the blonde. Though both were thankful that the blonde was part of the Clan Restoration Act. Otherwise their newly found friendship in each other would have no doubt come to an abrupt halt.

"Well, if we go by what Anko-chan suggested. We simply tie him to the bed and have our way with him." Yakumo stated bluntly with a slight blush, as the snake mistress was very descriptive in what they should do to lay claim to the blonde hanyou. "Though, Haku-chan has stated that Naruto-kun likes to let us set the pace, with her being the only exception due to the Uchiha-teme trying to lay claim to her. Err, no offense."

"None taken." The Uchiha girl chuckled slightly. "I am only a Uchiha in name anyways, since I can't even use my Sharingan for long periods of time without falling to chakra exhaustion."

This caused the brunette Uchiha to frown slightly. Due to her father not being from the clan, her ability to utilize the clans famed dojutsu. However, this also made her less reliant on it, allowing her to grow in other areas, unlike most Uchiha. During her time observing potential recruits for ROOT, she had witnessed how arrogant the 'official' sole survivor of the Uchiha Massacre was, despite not having activated his Sharingan at the time. She could only surmise how worse he has gotten since activating it.

Deciding to let himself be known, Naruto entered the room silently and draped his arms over both of the girls, causing them to stiffen as the blushes on their faces deepened.

"How about next week I take you both on a date so we can sit down and get to know each other?" He inquired.

"But what about Danzo-teme?" Yakumo asked, fearing that the man and his ROOT ANBU would attempt something if she left the compound, with Izumi mirroring the other girls thoughts.

"You will be safe with me." Naruto reassured both of them. "Besides the old man is a coward, he won't try anything out in the open like that. It's not his style, he prefers to move in the shadows."

"I agree, he hates to bring attention unto himself unless he is being praised for something." Izumi pointed out.

"Anyways, let's get that seal off of you."

Nodding, Izumi moved her hair out of the way, exposing the seal that was on the back of her neck. Upon seeing it, Naruto immediately knew why it didn't work as it should. Which was probably the reason the young woman had any sense of personality when he had first run into her. A simple stroke was missing from the seal. So small, so easily over looked.

However, seeing the seal added on to his original idea to make a counter seal to combat the effects of such seals, and potentially other styles of mental manipulations. Taking a sheet of fuinjutsu paper, he applied it to the back of her neck.

"You're going to feel a slight burning sensation." He warned.

Receiving a nod, he began to apply his chakra to the paper. In doing so, Izumi grit her teeth as she felt the back of her neck heating up. As he had told her, it felt like the skin on the back of her neck was being melted away. Though as quickly as it began, it stopped as seemingly foreign thoughts flooded her mind, all with a renewed hatred towards the bandaged man that had taken advantage of her vulnerability. The burning feeling now replaced with a cooling sensation.

"And done." He smiled, showing her the piece of paper that now held the seal that was once on the back of her neck.

Getting up from her sitting position, Izumi turned and bowed towards the blonde, showing her thanks. However, she was surprised when the blonde brought her into a comforting hug. Freezing up for only a split second before she buried her face into the crock of his neck and let her tears fall freely as she wrapped her arms around him.

"It's alright, let it all out." He cooed, as he combed his fingers through her hair. Knowing that the Uchiha girl was feeling a swirl of emotions, since part of the seal he had removed had dampened her ability to feel any emotion fully.

After a few moments, her sniffling began to die down, allowing her to pull away. Her eyes stained red from crying. Though before the blonde hanyou could ask how she was feeling, Izumi snaked her arms around his neck and brought him in for a deep kiss, catching both Naruto and Yakumo off guard at her sudden boldness, the later feeling a sense of jealousy that the Uchiha girl had been so daring in front of her. Naruto however, gladly returned her kiss, eliciting a small moan from the girl.

"So, how about next Thursday at six?" Izumi smiled shyly after breaking the kiss. Not believing that she had actually done that.

"It's a date then." He smiled before turning to Yakumo, whom still sported a healthy blush due to what she had just witnessed. "Does Friday night sound good for you, Yakumo-chan?"

Not trusting her voice, the young genjutsu mistress simply nodded her head.

"Um, Naruto-kun. What are you going to do with the seal?" Izumi spoke up, noticing that the blonde had yet to destroy the paper that now held the seal.

"I'm going to study it, and work on making a counter seal to prevent mental manipulation." Naruto explained. "Hopefully, I can make it so it blocks all forms. Be it from seals or jutsu's, or even dojutsu's."

Both Izumi and Yakumo couldn't help but smile at the young teens resolve. Both having been victims of such seals could see the value in being able to have a counter seal to protect not only them, but others from being forced to act against their will.

"Come, let us relax and enjoy the rest of the night." Naruto stated as he lead the two girls out of the room to join the rest of the girls that had gathered in the living room area, while Naruto himself disappeared into his own bedroom to get some much needed rest before evening fell over the compound.

The blonde hanyou knew he was going to need every minute of rest he could gather as Anko had made it very clear that she wanted her 'Foxy-kun time', and she was set on making up for lost time. All while teasing his pink haired mate that she had been monopolizing him due to being on the same team as him and have back to back long term missions outside of the village. Though, underneath all the teasing that Anko was dishing out towards Sakura, there was an underlying sense of affection in the snake mistresses voice.

* * *

**The Next Afternoon**

Sakura, Anko, Naruto, Yugao, and Team 8 all found themselves standing in front of the Hokage's desk. Though both Kiba and Shino were unaware as to why they were summoned before the village leader. Hinata on the other hand, knew, and as a result was feeling a little anxious as her demon blood screamed out for her to indulge in what was to come. Though it was not missed by anyone in the room that the Inuzuka boy was glaring at Naruto, since Hyuga heiress and snuggled up next to him in a very Anko-like manner.

'_Damn dobe, not only does he have my mate, but also my sister!'_ The feral boy mentally seethed, despising the fact that Naruto was with the two girls, as well as with Anko. _'Who's next, is Kurenai-sensei?'_

"Now then," The Hokage began, catching the groups attention. "The reason I have summoned you all here is to get you genin blooded before the Chuunin Exams start."

Hearing this, Hinata's eyes widened as she licked her lips in anticipation. Sakura also supporting a similar expression.

"What do you mean, blooded?" Kiba asked, not familiar with the term.

"In short, we are taking you gakis out to get your first kill." Anko explained bluntly with a sadistic grin on her face, prompting the feral boy to turn white.

"Correct." Hiruzen stated. "It's important that this is done now, as there will be foreign teams competing that will not think twice of killing other competitors to clear out the numbers and give them an edge over the ones remaining."

"So where we heading, Ji-ji?" Naruto inquired, eager to get this over and done with. He could feel the blood lust and eagerness rising between both Sakura and Hinata. Both Anko and Yugao seemed to also sense it, as each placed a reassuring hand on their shoulders, calming them down slightly.

"There are two camps just north of the village." The Hokage explained, giving the three senior kunoichi a map of where the camps were located. "Nothing big, but should be suitable for what is needed."

"We will leave at once then, Hokage-sama." Kurenai bowed, though there was a tone of concern in her voice.

"Please be careful." The elder man expressed. While he knew it was necessary, he never liked putting his shinobi in danger. Especially when they were young and inexperienced. Though he did have faith that the three jonin ranked kunoichis and Naruto would ensure that everyone would make it home.

"Don't worry Ji-ji, I'll make sure everyone makes it home." The blonde reassured with a smile as he left the office with the rest of those who would be going out to get their first kill.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

It only took the group of Konoha shinobi a few hours to reach the two camp sites that were indicated on the map the Hokage had given them, just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Which was perfect for the group of genin, as the twilight hours would obscure the bandits sight, allowing the shinobi to hide well within the sun light itself.

Pausing just above one of the camps, Naruto leaned over and whispered into Yugao's ear to watch over Hinata. Since he and Anko were going to take Sakura to the other camp site to allow her to sate her own blood lust. Nodding, Yugao quickly informed Kurenai of the plan, whom reluctantly agreed. The genjutsu mistress wanted to argue, but she knew Anko could easily take care of anything the bandits threw at them. Not knowing that Naruto could easily wipe out both camps without even breaking a sweat.

With that in mind, Yugao and Kurenai lead Team 8 towards the nearest camp. Taking their places within the trees, allowing them to map out the camp site and the various bandits locations. Though it didn't go unnoticed that Hinata's hands were twitching as her eyes scanned the camp. Imagining where and when she would strike. Kiba had seen this and smirked before quietly moving over to her side.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'll protect you." He grinned, using his arrogance to hide his own fear.

This of course only caused the Hyuga heiress to roll her eyes at the boy, pushing him away as she silently dropped down into the bushes below and waited her sensei's instruction to initiate the attack. Though it was taking all of her will power not to just simply go ahead and spill blood all over the ground. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait much longer as the signal came in the form of Yugao dropping down and plunging her blade into the back of an unsuspecting bandit. Allowing a sadistic grin to spread across her face as she moved out from the bush she was in. Slowly drawing one of her kunai as she activated her Byakugan, which only made her facial features all the more frightening. Further more considering some of her hanyou features were becoming more prominent as her pupils became slitted and her canines lengthened.

Moving forward towards her unfortunate target, the bandit didn't even get a chance to react as he turned around, only to have the kunai thrust into his throat, causing his blood to splatter all over the girls face. Which had only served to increase the young hanyou's blood lust as she moved towards her next target. With a fluid motion, she arced her weapon upwards, cutting deep into the man's gut, causing his intestines to spill out onto the ground. The last thing he saw was the sadistic smile on the girls face.

Turning to her right, she saw her team mate Kiba standing there, frozen as he stared at the blood on his hands from the bandit he had just killed. It was clear that the feral boy was beginning to hyper ventilate. Seeing another bandit moving in to attack the vulnerable Inuzuka, Hinata acted quickly and in another fluid motion, drove her kunai into the mans throat. Much to the shock of Kiba, and Kurenai who had just witnessed how easily the Hyuga heiress had taken to killing as said girl began to cut through the onslaught of bandits that ran forward to kill her. Causing the genjutsu mistress to feel conflicted. Should she be proud that the girl didn't hesitate, or should she be shocked at how effortlessly it came to her.

On the other side of the camp, Yugao struck down the last of the bandits before she turned her attention towards her fellow hanyou. The swords mistress could already tell that the young girl was already experiencing a blood frenzy as the Hyuga laid waste to a fair chunk of the bandit's. Quickly moving over to the young hanyou's location, Yugao placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder. Almost immediately, the girl whirled around to stab the owner of the offending appendage before she recognized who it was, immediately dropping her kunai, dropping to her knees.

"It's okay Hinata-chan." The purple haired ANBU smiled, as she knelt down, and brought the young girl into a hug, all while whispering into her ear. "Reel it in, you control it. It doesn't control you."

Nodding, Hinata closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before she opened them again as they had reverted to their more human like appearance. Which was a relief to both hanyous that no one had noticed the change. Well, no one alive at least. As Kiba was too shell shocked, while Kurenai and Shino were too busy contending with their own battles.

"I'm sorry, Yugao-chan." Hinata whispered, hanging her head slightly in shame for almost attacking her future sister-wife.

"It's okay, Yami-hime." The Queen of Blades smiled, using the girls nickname. "The first time is always the hardest. Remember, you only become a monster if you take joy in killing those that are innocent. These fiends were not innocent, and now their souls have been sent to Jashin-sama for punishment."

Nodding, the young Hyuga proceeded to attempt to clean the blood off her face, though only served to smear it around further, causing Yugao to chuckle as Hinata pouted.

* * *

**With Sakura, Naruto, and Anko**

"Are you ready, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, looking at his pink haired mate. Whom like Hinata earlier, was fidgeting in anticipation. Though unlike the Hyuga heiress, the pinkette was given permission to let loose with her hanyou abilities as the only witnesses would be Anko and himself.

"Let's do this." She replied as she summoned forth one of her dark blades in a reverse grip position.

Nodding, both Anko and Naruto moved out from the hiding places, while the latter created a half dozen shadow clones to ensure his mate would be safe. Though they had explicit instructions to only intervene if she truly needed the help.

Just like Team 8, the three hanyous quietly moved into the camp and began to silently cut down the bandits. Much like Hinata, Sakura had taken to it like a fish to water as her hanyou blood screamed out for more blood to be spilled onto the earth. Using her dark blade to stab into a bandits heart before bring the blade up, causing the poor bandit's top half to split open like a flower.

At the pinkette's sides, both Naruto and Anko cut down their own bandits with ease and effective brutality. Though had taken care to allow the pinkette to set the pace. Both knew she needed to get this out of her system, or else she would run the risk of losing control in the future, possibly at the worst time. During the Chuunin Exams for example. The last thing both Naruto and Anko wanted to deal with was a blood crazed hanyou in the midst of a crowded village filled with foreign visitors.

For her part, Sakura was unaware of what her two fellow hanyous were thinking. All she knew was how good it felt to have the warm blood of her foes splatter across her skin. Causing her hanyou features to fully come out, which only served to incite further panic and fear among the bandits as they began to scream hysterically about demons coming to kill them. Which they were right, as all three effortlessly cut down each and every one of them, leaving no survivors.

Once it was over, both Naruto and Anko quickly worked to calm their fellow hanyou doing. Reassuring her that the worst of the blood frenzy was behind her now, and that she would have an easier time dealing with it in the future. After a few minutes, Sakura had managed to reign in her emotions, before pouncing on top of the blonde hanyou and assault his mouth with her own. Much to the amusement of the snake mistress, as the pinkette had discovered that seeing her mate killing the bandits in such a manner had made her incredibly horny.

"I want it." She rasped between kisses. "Right now."

"I know, Sakura-chan." The blonde managed to answer, as the pinkette attempted to strip him of his clothing. Her hands desperately clawing at his pants before he had managed to gently restrain her. "But wait until we get home, and I will sate your desires. I promise."

"Besides my little Cherry Blossom, I don't think you want Team 8 to see you getting pounded." Anko added with a grin, earning an embarrassed blush from the pinkette. Not to mention, Hinata would no doubt be feeling the same way, and the snake mistress was fairly certain Kurenai would not want to witness her prized student in such a state.

Naruto seemed to have the same line of thought as he looked over at his first mate.

"I'm not getting any sleep tonight, am I?" He asked.

"Nope." Both Sakura and Anko replied with a grin.

* * *

**Hokage's Office, Two Hours Later**

Hiruzen looked over the group that had just returned. Noting that both Sakura and Hinata were still covered in blood, no doubt from the bandits, though he did note an aura of relief coming from the two. As if the two of them had just vented a large amount of pent up frustration all at once. While as Shino and Naruto seemed relatively calm and collected, despite what they had just done. Though the elder man knew that Naruto had killed a few times before, so he was desensitized to it, while as Shino was too logical in mind to allow it to fully affect him.

Kiba on the other hand looked pale and sweaty. Clearly shell shocked from the experience. The old man could only hope that the boy would move past it and be able to perform when the time was needed. Though he was sure the feral boys mother would help in that department. The Inuzuka's were always a hardy clan.

"I am pleased to see you all have returned safely, if not a bit messy." Hiruzen smiled, earning a few embarrassed chuckles, namely from the two girls covered in blood.

"This is not an easy life, and far too often are we forced to take a life." He continued. "While we have always strive to simply subdue our enemies, there will always be some that can not be subdued and must be removed permanently to prevent them from becoming a future threat to not only yourselves, but the village as well."

"We understand Ji-ji." Naruto spoke up. "Some will force our hands, but so long as we take no joy in killing those that are innocent, we keep our humanity."

Hiruzen nodded sagely at the blondes words. Not knowing their double meaning that his mates had picked up on. It was the same thing he had repeated before to both of them.

"Very good Naruto-kun." He smiled. "Once again, good job. All of you are dismissed."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kurenai bowed before she turned to her team. "I'm going to take Kiba home, um Hinata would you…."

"I'm going to Naruto-kun's." The heiress interrupted her sensei as she latched on to the blondes arm, as Sakura claimed his other arm. Meanwhile, Anko had wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

Residing to his immediate fate, he understood what his three mates wanted and brought them all with him into the shadows as he sunk into the floor. Without a doubt, neither one of them wanted to wait, so walking home was out of the question.

Meanwhile, all Kurenai could do was stand there and stare at the spot that the four of them had been standing, a strong blush adorning her cheeks at the implications her surrogate daughter had left open. Hiruzen on the other hand had passed out from the fountain of blood that came from his nose. While Kiba was still shell shocked from his first kill. Seeing all this, Yugao couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle at the reactions of everyone.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap!

Naruto and Sakura have finally returned to the village, marking the end of Kakashi and Sasuke's punishment. Kakashi also formally apologized for his actions towards the two, thus moving forward with his redemption. We also got to see Naruto invite both Yakumo and Izumi out on their respective dates, which is something I will touch upon in the next chapter.

Lastly, we got to see both Sakura and Hinata get their first kills with both of them submitting to their blood lust. As well as Sakura feeling a bit horny afterwards due to her hanyou instincts kicking in after seeing Naruto be just as brutal when dealing with his own bandits. So you can guess what him, Sakura, Hinata, and Anko will be doing off screen. Not to mention my favorite part in writing, Naruto officially proposing to Anko!

Now, next chapter will start the beginning of the Chuunin Exams, which I know a lot of you are waiting for. I just hope I can live up to your expectations.

As always, be sure to leave your thoughts in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message!


	30. Chapter 30

**Authors Notes:** And here we go again!

Naruto and Sakura are finally back in Konoha after being away for over a month, much to the relief of the other girls. Kakashi had officially apologized about his actions and negligence in the past, thus beginning the process of bonding with his other students. Sakura and Hinata both officially got their first kill, just in time too since the Chuunin Exams are about to start.

We also got to see Naruto officially propose to Anko, which was great. Sure, they have said they were engaged for a long while now, but Naruto just made it official. And of course Anko being Anko and threatening both the Hokage and Kakashi if they spoke a word of her moment of vulnerability.

Anyways, this chapter will mark the official start of the Chuunin Exams for our hanyous. While the chapter will start off the day the exams start, I will be doing a flash back scene to show what happened between Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi during their discussion to get reintroduced to each other.

Also, on a side note, the Sasuke bashing is going to start to wane down as he needs to start being built up to be the antagonist later on. Though he will still have his pride hurt a few more times, especially one major blow that will come during the finals of the exams. Fear not, I already have a replacement for our favorite Duck-Ass to be the butt of the jokes moving forward. And no, it's not Kiba.

* * *

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* * *

**Review Corner**

_**Gaim no Kaze –**_ Fear not, he is going to get a wake up call after the preliminaries, and learns what it is to be a true alpha. Though he will still suffer a brutal defeat due to his arrogance. I will just say that his mouth gets him into some serious trouble, and the demon blood of Naruto is very protective over his mates.

_**FenreldStormblade –**_ Sasuke is not in a good mood and severely needs a shower. Kakashi is going to be surprised and a little disappointed that he wasn't able to take them out, and a little embarrassed that he didn't think to take Sasuke out.

Also this is a set up for something that is going to happen in the Forest of Death in front of Sasuke. So that will be fun to go over how he reacts when Sakura just kills someone without flinching.

_**0wolfblade0 –**_ It just means that she bears his mark, and has accepted it. She is still waiting for her wedding night for that. Which is going to come up in a few chapters, with a very special guest performing the ceremony.

_**UnsanMusho –**_ Right now, Kurenai is fighting with herself if she should be proud of her student for not hesitating or if she should be worried for the fact. Though there will be a slight discussion between Kurenai and Hinata about what had transpired.

Not to mention, she will have another run in with Naruto later on, after something that happens, when she will learn what's going on.

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark –**_ One of the down sides of being a half demon I guess.

And yes, Hinata has come a long way from her shy days and yes, much of that is due to Anko helping her get out of her shell during the Academy years. Kurenai thinks that Anko had only recently started corrupting our little Heiress, Hinata has been corrupted for a lot longer then that.

_**VFSNAKE –**_ Yeah, I have something planned for a confrontation with both his sister and during Kiba's match against Naruto, in which as stated above, Kiba's mouth is going to get him a brutal beating at the hands of Naruto.

As for Kakashi, yeah, he is going to start reading the Demon Heart books more. No doubt, it will be a blow to the Pervy Sages pride to lose one of his most faithful readers.

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Fubuki*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Koyuki*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Isaribi, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have accepted to bear Naruto's mark.

Now, on with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 30

**Day of the Chuunin Exams**

With a tired yawn, Naruto leaned back against one of the training posts of his teams designated training grounds as he waited for the rest of his team to arrive. The only reason Sakura had not accompanied him to the training ground was because she had reluctantly stayed at her mothers house. Naruto had ventured to ask why she just didn't tell her mother the truth, but the pinkette had countered that it would only cause more headaches for them. Naruto had accepted his mates reasoning, knowing full well with her mother on the Civilian Council, and one of the few still firmly rooted in the Uchiha camp, she could no doubt make their daily lives within the village far more annoying then it needed to be.

His thoughts then turned to the other member that made up Team 7. The brooding Uchiha, whom was no doubt still in the shower trying to wash out the stench of the canines he had been forced to clean during his and Sakura's absence. Hana had regaled the two hanyous with tales of the multiple times her mother had planted the arrogant Uchiha face first into a pile of dog shit. Much to the amusement of both Sakura and Naruto.

Releasing another bored yawn, Naruto thought back over the events of the past few weeks, which for lack of a better word, had been extremely eventful, constantly keeping the blonde hanyou busy.

Ever since he had returned to the village from his mission in Yuki no Kuni, now named Haru no Kuni, Naruto had been busy non stop. Balancing his time between training for the upcoming exams, and spending time with his girls. With the help of Yugao, he had also even managed to sneak away with Sakura and Hinata a few more times for wipe out a more bandit camps. Allowing them to fully get control over their hanyou tendencies. It also helped to allow the girls to fully go all out with their hanyou abilities. Which was a sight truly to behold, as both Sakura and Hinata had torn through the bandits, slavers, and such with brutal glee.

Aside from that, he had also taken both Yakumo and Izumi out on their respective dates as he had promised. However, both dates had encountered their own hiccups due to some unwanted visitors. Though despite that, both dates had gone well and each girl enjoyed their time with the blonde hanyou. The memories still brought a smile to Naruto's face.

* * *

**Flashback no Jutsu, Yakumo's Date**

_Naruto couldn't help but to chuckle silently to himself as he observed how nervous the budding Genjutsu Mistress was acting __as they__ left the Uzumaki compound. __Though he could understand __the reason why__ she felt __so anxious__. Not only was she going out on her first date, but it was also the first time she had left the compound since Naruto had brought__ her into his home after the R__OOT__ incident, __so it would only be natural for her to feel a bit nervous._

_S__miling, he grasped her hand and gave it a firm squeeze, catching her attention._

"_Are you ready, Yakumo-chan?" He inquired with a smile, earning one in return from the budding genjutsu mistress._

"_Where are we going, Naruto-kun?" She asked, as the blonde had yet to reveal what he had planned for their date._

"_That is a secret." He grinned. "But I promise you will like it."_

_C__asually, the two strolled through the village hand in hand. Earning a few curious looks at the Kurama heiress being out and about __along side Naruto. Fortunately for the blonde hanyou and his date, many of the villages populace had changed their view of the blonde, much thanks to his accomplishments within the village as well as he feats outside of Konoha has well. __Though there were a few quiet whispers among the onlookers, mostly pertaining to the young genjutsu mistress, as rumors had spread that she was dead._

"_They're staring at us, Naruto-kun." Yakumo whispered, a little embarrassed by the attention they had attracted._

"_Let them." The blonde smiled, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You're beautiful after all."_

_Blushing, the brunette proceeded to rest her head on her dates shoulder._

_A few more minutes found the duo in the middle of a festive __looking market filled with various art supplies, portraits, __and other miscellaneous items for aspiring artists. Seeing this, Yakumo's eyes widen in shock as Naruto lead her through the market place. __Allowing her to look over various paintings and other art pieces that were on display._

"_This is…." She struggled to find the words to describe her joy._

"_I told you that you would enjoy where I was going to take you." The blonde smiled __as Yakumo began to drag him to the various stalls and vendors __in excitement._

_A__s the hours ticked by, the young couple had decided to sit __side by side__ for an evening meal at one of the various food vendors that littered the marketplace __that offered a wide assortment of food and refreshments__. __This had also given Naruto the chance to safely seal all of the gifts he had bought his date__into storage scrolls that he had brought along, as he had fully intended to spoil the young Genjutsu Mistress. __Which he did. Having bought her a brand new easel, along with __buying out one vendors entire stock of canvas. Not to mention an entire collection of new brushes of various sizes, as well as paint of various colors._

_But the item she cherished most was a portrait th__at__ had done with just the two of the__m as they embraced one another in loving comfort.__ Even if it was a little embarrassing as to how the artist had captured the moment. While the two were having an intimate moment together, sharing a kiss, the artist had snapped their picture and had all but begged to do the portrait. While Yakumo blushed in embarrassment of the situation, Naruto had agreed and the artist had set to work immediately on the portrait, using the photo as reference. __Once it was finished, Yakumo was breathless due to how beautiful it was._

"_Naruto-kun, you really didn't have to do all this for me." Yakumo stated with a slight blush as she gestured to the small pile of sealing scrolls __that contained everything the blonde had bought her._

"_Yakumo-chan, you are a very special woman." Naruto smiled at her. "You deserve all of this."_

"_I…. thank you, Naruto-kun." She replied, taking a bite of the dango she had ordered. A slight blush on her cheeks from the compliment she had just received._

"_You're very welcome." The blonde smiled back, before digging into the curry before him. Having opted to have something other then ramen during their date._

_As the two ate in comfortable silence, a shadow grew before them. Looking up, Yakumo's eyes widened in fear at the man that now stood before them. A deep scowl etched across his aging face as he glared at the young genjutsu mistress, causing her to shrink back slightly until she felt a comforting squeeze from the blonde next to her._

"_Something I can help you with, Unkai-san?" Naruto inquired in an even tone, catching the aging mans attention._

"_Yes." Unkai stated. "As acting head of the Kurama clan, I demand that you surrender Yakumo Kurama to be executed immediately for the murder of my brother and his wife."_

_Slowly, Naruto stood up from his seat and leveled his own glare towards the acting head of the Kurama clan, causing the elder man to flinch under the blonde hanyous cold gaze. All the while, guiding Yakumo up from her seat and behind him._

"_Well, acting clan head." Naruto smirked. "As the official clan head of the Uzumaki clan, I am going to have to not so politely tell you to fuck off with your demands, as Yakumo-chan is under the Uzumaki clan protection."  
_

"_Do you have any-"_

_"Furthermore, I am well aware of your numerous requests for Yakumo-chan's execution. I am also well aware that each request was denied by the Hokage. So no, I will not be handing over Yakumo-chan just so you can murder her. All so you can be filled with a false sense of justice to inflate your fragile ego."_

_At this, Unkai felt enraged that the young blonde would embarrass him so, and make such accusations that all he wanted to do was murder his niece in cold blood._

"_Boy, you have no idea-" The elder man began._

"_Yes I do." Naruto interrupted. "Now, this will be your only warning. Walk away."_

_A moment of tense silence passed between the two clan heads._

"_This isn't over…."_

_Unkai was unable to finish as he suddenly felt three sharp edges lightly pressed against various parts of his body. Turning his head slightly, he could make out three clones of the boy in front of him, all holding a black blade ready to impale him at the slightest movement against the two lovers._

"_Know this Unkai Kurama." Naruto stated coldly. "You make any move against Yakumo-chan, any move at all, I will see it as an act of war against the Uzumaki clan and I will single handily wipe out your entire clan."_

"_Are you threatening me, boy?" Unkai asked defiantly, though fear was evident in his voice._

"_No, I'm making a promise." The blonde hanyou stated, leaking a small amount of killer intent directed solely at the man before him. "Now leave."_

_A heavy silence hung between the two clan heads as Naruto's 'promise' hung in the air between them. Despite himself, Unkai couldn't help but to slightly shudder in fear before the blondes eyes. Every instinct screamed at the elder Kurama that this was not an idle promise, that the blonde would massacre his entire clan. This was further reinforced by small flashes of visions of his various clan members massacred bodies, causing the elder man to break out in a cold sweat. Wisely, Unkai opted to retreat, leaving the two lovers alone._

_Once he was out of sight, Naruto turned to comfort Yakumo, only to be engulfed in a firm hug from the brunette young woman, whom was now crying into his chest. Smiling he wrapped his arms around her, allowing his hands to run up and down her back in a comforting manner. _

"_Thank you, Naruto-kun." She spoke softly, her face still buried into his chest. "For defending me."_

"_Yakumo-chan." Naruto smiled. "You are one of my himes. I will always defend you."_

_Smiling she looked up and leaned in, giving him a soft kiss before resting her head on his shoulder. Allowing her face to snuggle into his neck as she held him._

"_So, is this the part where you tell me about you being a hanyou and Jashin's champion?" She asked softly so that only he can hear her, earning a chuckle __from the blonde._

"_You knew about that, huh?" He asked playfully._

"_Kind of hard not to when we live under the same roof." __She playfully retorted. "Also, Anko-chan is very excitable."_

"_That she is." The blonde __chuckled__. "So, how do you feel about it?"_

"_Naruto-kun, you helped me and brought me into your home, and you asked nothing in return." She began, looking up at him. "__Not to mention, you and the rest of the girls have given __the love I have missed since my parents died__. So if you would allow it, I would love to be one of your mates."_

"_Both Izumi-chan and I have both been speaking to Yugao-chan about becoming True Jashinist." She continued with a slight blush.__ Reinforcing her __former __statement by exposing the base of her neck as an offer to be marked. However, Naruto merely covered her neck and gave her a caring smile, earning a look of confusion from the budding genjutsu mistress._

"_Not here Yakumo-chan." He told her. "Once we get home."_

"_Okay, Naruto-kun." She nodded, __resting her head once more on his shoulder. Letting out a sigh of contentment._

* * *

**Flashback no Jutsu Dispel**

True to his word, once they had returned to the compound that evening, he took the young genjutsu mistress into her room for some privacy and marked her; after giving her his typical lecture about the intimacy behind the mark and so forth. Hilariously, Yakumo had told him to shut up and mark her already before pulling him into a fierce kiss. Something both Anko and Sakura had gotten a kick out of when they had learned of what had transpired between himself and the newly fledged hanyou, much to the blondes embarrassment. Regardless, the rest of his mates had warmly welcomed Yakumo into the family.

Of course while reminiscing about his date with the young genjutsu mistress, Naruto couldn't forget about his date with Izumi that had happened the following night after his date with Yakumo.

* * *

**Flashback no Jutsu, Izumi's Date**

_Relaxing __back __into the blondes embrace as __the two of them__ looked over the village from their vantage point atop the Hokage Monument as the sun began to set over the horizon, the young Uchiha woman couldn't even begin to fathom how she got here. __Originally, she had been assigned to follow, gain information, and capture or eliminate her target. __Instead __during her mission__, she had ended up falling for her target. __Even before he had welcomed her into his home, she had begun to develop feelings for the blonde hanyou. Seeing the way he treated his girls __and those close to him, __not to mention watching how his girls interacted with one another__ had filled her with a sense of longing. __As if it was a scene__that had__ come to life from one of those romance novels that __she __had loved reading before her time in Root._

_However, as it normally does, when ever the young Uchiha woman would reminisce about her current romantic life, ghosts from her past would begin to sneak up on her. Forcing her to recall her short one sided romance with one Itachi Uchiha. The mere thought of the 'Kin Slayer' would cause her blood to boil, infuriated that she had bared her heart to him, and he had figuratively ripped it out when he had attempted to kill her the night he had slain the majority of the Uchiha clan._

"_You're thinking too loud, Izumi-chan." Naruto's soothing voice broke the Uchiha woman out of her thoughts as he embraced her lithe frame, giving her a sense of comfort and safety. "Something on your mind?"_

"_Just….thinking about the past is all." She frowned, snuggling into his hold._

"_If you wish to talk about it, I am willing to listen." Naruto stated after a few seconds of silence had passed between them. "However, I will not pry if you are not ready."_

_Silence hung between the two for a handful of seconds before Izumi sighed and leaned forward, out of the blondes hold._

"_Like I said, if you don't want to talk about it…."_

"_No, it would probably be best if I get this off my chest." The Uchiha woman stated, interrupting Naruto. Seeing as the last person she had talked to about it had only used her as a disposable tool. Perhaps it would be best to share her pain with someone who was genuinely concerned for her. Turning so that she was face to face with the blonde hanyou._

"_As you know, I am one of the survivors of the Uchiha Massacre." She began, playing with the grass in front of her. "What most don't know __is that the night that it had happened, Itachi had asked me out on a date."_

"_At the time, I __had a crush on him. __Mainly because he was the only one who treated me well and didn't care about who my parents were. He helped me grow as a kunoichi. He was even there for me when both of my parents died. I thought he loved me.__" Izumi __explained__ with a slight blush, a little embarrassed that she was telling her current love interest about a past love interest. However, Naruto said nothing, allowing her to continue. _

"_I should have known __something __was wrong.__He was the son of the Clan head, and I was just a 'half breed'." She growled at the term __that the entire Uchiha clan had labeled her with, since she was only half Uchiha on her mothers side. "__Still, I foolishly gave him all my trust. Maybe because I was desperate to actually have another member of the clan acknowledge me. It wasn't until I was bleeding out on my apartment floor did I realize the truth. I was just a means to an end for him to gain more power."_

_Tears leaked out of Izumi's eyes as she choked back the quiet sobs, prompting the blonde hanyou to reach over and pull her into his warm embrace and allow her to cry into his chest, leaning back as he did so __that he was laying down on the grass, __pulling the crying Uchiha girl on top of him. Rubbing her back and combing his fingers through her hair._

"_I later came to in an underground medical facility." She continued, once she had calmed down. "__I only survived because __I have a rare medical condition in which my heart is located on the right side of my chest, instead of the left side."_

"_Well, I for one am glad you survived." Naruto spoke softly. "You're a very special woman, Izumi-chan."_

_I__zumi couldn't help but smile as she nuzzled into his neck from her position. Thankful for the compliment._

"_It was then that Danzo came to me. __He asked me what happened." She continued her tale. "After I told him, he then offered me a chance to get my revenge on the man that betrayed me and to give me a purpose to protect Konoha from the shadows. I immediately agreed."_

"_You didn't even think it over?" The blonde inquired in a gentle tone._

"_No." The Uchiha girl sighed._

"_Then I am willing to bet that he had the seals placed on you just before you woke up." Naruto speculated. "And only gave you the illusion of having a choice."_

"_I…__." She began before stopping. "No, that makes sense. He would….did do something like that, with Yakumo-chan."_

"_So what do you want to do now?" He asked._

"_I….I don't know." Izumi sighed. "Part of me still wants to get revenge on Itachi, but the other part of me wants to just move on with my life."_

"_May I offer some advice?" The blonde inquired, earning a nod from the Uchiha girl. "Forget about revenge. Revenge is an ugly road that will only lead you to more pain and ruin. To yourself and those around you."_

"_Don't get me wrong." He continued before she could say anything. "I am not saying you should forgive him for what he did. Just don't let him dictate your life. Live for yourself."_

_From her position on top of him, Izumi leaned up so that she could look him in the eyes. A smile evident upon her face accompanied with a healthy blush as she slowly lowered her lips to meet his. Allowing them to clash with each other in an intimate kiss as the blonde beneath her wrapped his arms around her frame, holding her close._

"_Thank you, Naruto-kun." She stated once the two had separated, laying her head down on his chest one more._

"_For what?"_

"_For everything." The Uchiha girl smiled. "Despite __the circumstances of our meeting__, you and your girls still brought me into your home, protected me, and gave me a sense of family I never had."_

"_You're very welcome, Izumi-chan." He smiled, looking down at the raven haired girl on top of him as he allowed his fingers to comb through her hair once more._

"_So, is this where you mark me as one of your mates?" She asked after a few moments of comfortable silence, prompting the blonde hanyou to chuckle._

"_You know all of what it entails, correct?" He inquired, still combing his fingers through her hair._

"_I do." She replied, leaning up so she could look him in the eyes once again. "Bearing the mark will turn me into a hanyou like yourself and the others __that also bear your mark. __I am also well aware of the fact that this isn't a light commitment, and that it will span hundreds of years or more."_

"_And the fact that I am Jashin-chans champion?"_

"_Doesn't bother me at all." Izumi stated. "And as you know, Yakumo-chan and I have both been talking with Yugao-chan about following Jashin-sama."_

"_I see." The blonde mused. "So your mind is made up then?"_

_He got his answer in the form of her smashing her lips against his own in a fierce passionate kiss. Receiving his answer, Naruto broke the kiss and began to trail light kiss down the right side of her neck before stopping at the base of her neck. Giving the area one last gentle kiss before he bit down on her neck, channeling his demonic chakra into her, prompting the Uchiha woman to do the same to him, thus accepting his mark._

_A few seconds later, he released his mouth from her neck and held her close as her body began to go through the changes of becoming a half demon, causing her to mildly spasm and shake for a few minutes __before her body became relaxed once more._

"_Welcome to the family, Izumi-chan." He smiled as he looked down at her._

"_Thank you, Naruto-kun." Izumi smiled as she leaned up and kissed him once more. This time more tenderly and lovingly, before breaking the kiss and snuggling into him. Feel a sense of contentment wash over her as she felt his arms embrace her once more._

**_A__n Hour Later_**

_Their date over, the two newly mated hanyous casually strolled through the village with Izumi resting her head on her blonde mates shoulder as they made their way to the Uzumaki compound, his long coat draped over her shoulders, enjoying each others company. Where the other girls were no doubt waiting to hear all the juicy details, which partially made the young Uchiha woman a bit nervous as Anko could be rather forceful when she wanted to hear all the details, especially if anything intimate were to have happened between the two of them._

_However, their evening was interrupted when a raven haired figure stood in front of them. A deep scowl etched across his face as he narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha woman._

"_So, the half breed survived __as well__.__" Sasuke __commented, his voice full of venom as he glared at Izumi.__ "You __could have redeemed yourself for your filthy blood and __submitted yourself to be bred __by the elite__ to restore the clan. Instead, you whored yourself out to __this__ filth."_

_A__t this, Izumi's Sharingan eyes flared to life as she glared at the arrogant 'Last' Uchiha, unknown to her though, they had evolved __to the next stage, Mangekyou Sharingan__**(1)**__. This of course __caused Sasuke to flinch under the woman's glare. Naruto had moved to defend his mates honor, only to be stopped by a subtle gesture from the raven haired woman._

"_If redeeming myself means I would have to submit myself to such an arrogant, short sighted child." She growled as her Mangekyou Sharingan burned brightly, her hanyou features slightly showing, making her look all the more intimidating to the Last Uchiha. "Then I renounce my Uchiha blood __and proudly take up the Uzumaki name.__"_

_N__aruto could only smirk as he saw the color drain from Sasuke's face as Izumi defiantly denounced her Uchiha heritage in front of the vaunted 'Last' Uchiha __and even claimed his as her own. Deciding to avoid the confrontation escalating further, the blonde gently took Izumi's hand and brought her into his embrace._

"_Let us go, Izumi-chan." He smiled. "Everyone is waiting for us __back home__."_

_Releasing a soft giggle, the now former Uchiha fell in step with her mate. Leaving behind a stunned Sasuke, whom was still processing what had happened._

* * *

**Flashback no Jutsu Dispel**

Of course that had lead to more tension between Sasuke and himself when the team would attend meetings and perform more D-rank missions within the village walls, but the blonde didn't care. There was very little Sasuke could do in regards to Izumi. Officially, she was declared dead. A victim of the Uchiha Massacre, and Danzo would not admit to having her secretly working for him.

"Morning, Naruto-kun." Sakura greeted as she entered the training ground, snapping the blonde out of his musings.

"Morning Sakura-chan." He smiled as he stood up to officially greet his pink haired mate. Giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." The pink haired hanyou apologized, a look of annoyance washing over her face. "My mother had insisted on some 'girl talk', which more or less equated to her pressuring me to pursue Sasuke-teme again."

Naruto could only growl in response, not liking the thought of Sakura's mother pushing his mates towards another male. Let alone one that had nearly gotten her killed on their first mission outside of the village.

"After the Chuunin Exams." Sakura spoke, burying her face into his chest. Prompting the blonde to embrace her, "I want to tell her about us."

"Would you like me to be there when you talk to her?"

"I would love that." She replied with a smile.

Smiling, the two sat down and rested against the training pole next to each other. No talking, just enjoying each others company. A few more minutes ticked by before they were graced with the presence of the brooding Uchiha. Whom shot Naruto a dirty look upon entering the training ground, prompting the two hanyous to chuckle, knowing full well what it was about.

"Yo!" Kakashi stated as he appeared in a poof of smoke on top of the training post that Sakura and Naruto were leaning against.

"Let me guess, you're late because you were being chased by a naked, oiled up Gai-sensei?" Naruto ventured, causing the masked jonin to dry heave at the thought of the 'Green Beast' of Konoha chasing after him, wearing nothing but a radiant smile and covered in body oil.

"That….was not a pleasant image, Naruto." Kakashi gasped, earning a chuckle from the blonde.

All in all, the masked jonin was pleased that he was able to repair his fractured relationship with the other two members of his genin team. Through their re-introductions the weekend the two returned from their last mission, he was able to learn more about them. Sakura's elemental affinities, which he was surprised that even that early on, Naruto had been helping in her training. Feeling a bit ashamed when the two admitted that since they already knew the tree walking exercise, they had left shadow clones to do it for them, while they trained with their elements down on the beach.

He was also able to get a more accurate reading on just how skilled Naruto truly was. While not completely accurate, from what Kakashi had learned from the blonde would put him roughly at high chuunin to mid jonin level. Sakura, he had placed at low to mid chuunin, making both of his estranged students more then ready for the exams. Regrettably, he had to admit that on their own, they had progressed further then even Sasuke had so far.

"Anyways." Kakashi coughed, getting his teams attention, pulling out three slips of paper. "As you know, the Chuunin Exams are starting today, and I took the liberty of signing you three up."

All three of the genin could only grin in response as they took their slips of paper, which would give them entry into the exams.

"You two better not get in my way." Sasuke stated with an arrogant smirk as he departed the training ground, causing both hanyous to merely shake their head in response.

"Come on Sakura-chan, let do this!" Naruto exclaimed.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** And that's a wrap, the Chuunin Exams have officially kicked off, next chapter will start off during the academy portion and the written test. I am open to ideas of scenes you would like to see or suggestions from which things to change around. Though I make no promises that all suggestions will make it in.

_**1- **_As seen, I gave Izumi the Mangekyou Sharingan. If you want an accurate idea of what hers looks like, it is Naka's Mangekyou Sharingan. Looking up various pictures, I felt his more fit her character. Now, the main reason she has it now is because of the chakra boost she got from becoming a hanyou, which allows her to utilize her Sharingan fully. Also, with her hanyou genetics, she does not suffer from the sight deterioration from using her Mangekyou Sharingan.

Also on the topic of Izumi, I went back in forth on whether I should have Sauske run into them, or Danzo. Some of my fellow authors I bounce ideas off of, strongly suggested Sasuke, so there you have it.

Lastly, I would like to apologize for this chapter being mostly flashbacks, but I really wanted to do the two dates between Yakumo and Izumi. Which I thought they went pretty well.

As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message!


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Notes:** Once again, I apologize for the last chapter being mostly just flashbacks, but as stated, I really wanted to show case Naruto's date with both girls. As well as have Naruto flex a bit more of his political muscle in clan affairs, in regards to Yakumo's uncle. Normally, Naruto would not threaten those that are not involved with the conflict, but our little hanyou really had to drive the point home to Unkai.

As for Izumi, I figured that being technically only half Uchiha, the rest of the clan would have ostracized her and would label her with derogatory names like "Half-breed" and "half-blood" and such, meant to insult her blood status within the clan and the fact that she couldn't properly use her Sharingan. Which we saw Sasuke continuing on, and implying that she could have redeemed herself by submitting to him.

Rest assured, during the exams, Sasuke will be confronting Naruto about Izumi, which will also be interesting as well.

* * *

**Discord**

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* * *

**Spotlight**

Two new stories make the spotlight this time around!

_**NaruAnko: The Fiend – by SelenetheNerd**_

Dungeons and Dragons cross over with our favorite blonde. Starting during the Secret Scroll theft, instead of learning the Shadow Clone jutsu, he summons an Arch Devil from the Nine Hells. Read on as she makes him her warlock and thrusts him into a war that is as old as time itself!

_**No More Lies – by FenreldStormbladed**_

From an anonymous person, Naruto learns that he has been lied to his entire life by the very people he loved and trusted in regards to whom his parents were. Feeling betrayed, Naruto fakes his death and leaves the village.

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**VFSNAKE –**_ Didn't you do that in one of your stories? Could have sworn I have read that exact scene between Kakashi and Gai somewhere before.

_**Agnar –**_ The drama around Mebuki will be coming to a close after the Chuunin Exams. I got plans for her when she confronts Sakura about something that happens during the finals.

As for Sasuke, I have a plan for him and something he comes across during his time away from Konoha. Something I don't think a lot of people will see coming.

_**Issei Uzumaki –**_ I had to mix it up a little when the girls request their marks. Also, I figured it would be nearly impossible for both Izumi and Yakumo to not learn about Naruto being a half demon and a Jashinist since they both live under the same roof and let's face it, Anko isn't always quiet about such things.

_**Imperial-samaB –**_ To apologize for the flashback chapter, this chapter will be dedicated to the Exams completely!

_**Laverniak –**_ Sakura and Hinata will dominate those that stand against them. So expect their matches in the preliminaries to turn out different. Also, I have a comical ending for Sakura and Ino's match.

As for Sasuke, I do have something planned for him to bring him up to Naruto's power, and I feel it is believable to be able to obtain and make him a real threat to Naruto and the rest of the Elemental Nations.

_**Killthebeast –**_ There will be many notable guests to watch the finals. Koyuki, Mei, and Tsunami to name a few. As well as the Fire Daimyo and his wife. As well as one other guest.

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – **_Yup, I gave Izumi a Mangekyou Sharingan via ex machina due to her transformation into a hanyou. As such, she doesn't suffer from chakra depletion from using it like she use to with her regular Sharingan eyes.

As for Orochimaru, I got plans for him.

_**PraetorXyn – **_I already plan on Hinata winning her match, since she is not the same girl from canon. Also, she isn't limited to just her clan's style of taijutsu and will utilize other forms to beat the crap out of Neji. In the end though, Neji will still get some sense knocked into him about fate and all.

Sasuke on the other hand, you'll love what I have planned. And it will happen in the finals in front of everyone.

_**Voltblaze0522 –**_ Glad you are enjoying it. I will say this, due to how over powered Naruto is, he will not encounter Orochimaru during this time. I will have to separate him from the team to allow Orochimaru to mark Sasuke. Though doesn't mean Sakura won't give the snake a good beat down in Naruto's place.

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Fubuki*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Izumi*, Koyuki*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yakumo*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Isaribi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have accepted to bear Naruto's mark.

Now, on with the show!

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 31

**Hokage's Office**

"Each team has been submitted their permission slips, Hokage-sama." Iruka informed the Hokage with a slight frown. The scarred Chunin wasn't exactly pleased to hear that all of the jounin sensei's had endorsed their teams for the exams. Honestly, he felt that only Gai's team was ready for the test, the others were still too green. Having only been genin for less then a year.

"You don't approve that each of the teams have been endorsed, do you Iruka?" Hiruzen inquired with a knowing look. The elder village leader knew all to well how the academy instructor felt about his former students, namely Naruto. It was clear the scarred man viewed the young blonde as a little brother figure.

"To be honest sir, I just don't think most of the teams are ready for the exams." Iruka openly stated. "With the exception of Team 9, everyone hasn't even been genin for a full year."

"Be that as it may." The Hokage began with a slight grin. "But, as you may recall, Team 7 themselves have had quite the start for their Shinobi careers. Their first C-rank mission turned into an A-rank, yet they were still able to complete it with no fatalities or lasting injuries."

"But…."

"Then there was their most recent mission in Haru no Kuni." Hiruzen interrupted the instructor. "Which, according to Princess Koyuki herself, both Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan were key figures for not only the missions success, but also keeping the rebels alive."

"But Naruto….."

"Is quite capable." The elder man interrupted once more. "Most, if not all of Team 7's success, has been due to Naruto-kun. He has proven to have a sharp intellect, enough to rival, if not surpass, any Nara clan member. He also has a drive in him to protect those who can not protect themselves, regardless of the consequences to himself. In Nami no Kuni, at the risk of being charged with insubordination, he ignored Kakashi's orders and remained with the family on a hunch that the family would be targeted. A hunch that proved to be correct."

"In Haru no Kuni, Naruto-kun had warned Kakashi countless times of an impeding ambush." The elder man continued. "When Hatake ignored his warnings, Naruto-kun had taken it upon himself to plan out every detail to protect not only the client, but everyone else. Which was complicated even further when he learned of the rebels attempting a counter ambush. In the end, Naruto saved everyone. Even taking four kunai in the back to protect Koyuki-hime from harm."

Iruka could only gawk at the aged village leader. While he had known of the teams numerous successes, he had never read the actual reports as they were generally reserved for the Hokage's eyes only, and thus, he had given credit to Kakashi for the teams success. But to learn that from the teams inception, Naruto was the one responsible for each victory.

"Still, if you are unconvinced." Hiruzen spoke once more. "Feel free to test them yourself."

With a silent nod, the scarred Chunin left the office, pondering what course of action he should take.

* * *

**Konoha Streets**

Both Sakura and Naruto were casually making their way through the village towards the Academy, having just dropped off their entry papers to a receptionist in a makeshift office at the edge of the village, instead of the usual Records Building located next to the Hokage's Tower. Making the pinkette groan in slight irritation. To make matters worse, Kakashi had conveniently failed to mentioned where they had to turn the papers in at.

"Seriously, they could have just had everyone turn in their papers at the Academy." Sakura grumbled, earning a chuckle from her blonde mate.

"I am sure they did it this way on purpose." Naruto commented with a thoughtful expression. "Probably to throw the participants off their game. Remember what Kakashi did during our Genin test?"

"Ugh, don't remind me." The pinkette groaned. Her days fresh out of the academy were not her proudest of moments.

"What I meant was when Kakashi-sensei initially made is work against each other using hunger, tiredness, and irritation." The blonde pointed out. "It stands to reason that Konoha is doing the same thing, to further weed out any genins who are not ready for the exams."

"Make's sense." Sakura conceded, though still grumbled about having to walk all the way across the village. "So, did Anko-chan or Yugao-chan give you any hints on what to expect."

"Nope." He replied, earning a defeated sigh from the pink haired kunoichi. "All Anko-chan said was that there would be a surprise, though still refused to give any hints as to what it is. Even after I bribed her with a case of dango."

"Wow, must be a hell of a surprise if she wouldn't even budge after that." Sakura commented, clearly shocked that her future sister-wife had refused her favorite treat.

"Ouch!" A voice exclaimed from just around the corner ahead of the two hanyous. "That hurt you little jerk!"

Rounding the corner, the pair were greeted by the sight of a bulky looking guy, wearing a Bunraku style puppeteer's costume, with a black hood with what appeared to be cat like ears on the top. A Suna symbol etched into the boys hitai-ate that seemed to be stitched onto the cat eared hood. Make up covered the large boys face in some sort of intricate design that appeared to have been drawn on using his sister's lip stick, if the color that adorned the girl's lips next to him was any indication. In the make up wearing boys hand was none other the Konohamaru, the grandson of the old man, his other hand drawn back in a threatening gesture against the kid.

Next to the boy in cat pajamas was sandy blonde haired girl with an annoyed look on her face. She had teal colored eyes and her hair tied into four different pig tails tails. Two on the top, and two on the bottom. Her outfit consisting of a single light purple, off the shoulders garment that extended halfway down her thighs. A scarlet sash wrapped firmly around her waist. Underneath the light purple garment, the girl wore a full body fish net armor that covered her shoulders and her left thigh, while a separate piece of fish net covered her right calf. Her hitai-ate hanging loosely around her neck, as what appeared to be a massive fan was slung over her back.

"Put him down you big cross dressing bully!" A girl around the same age as both Naruto and Sakura shouted. Taking in her appearance, the two noted that she wore her dark brown hair up into a pair of buns at the top of her head, giving off the appearance of panda ears. This was especially highlighted by her choice of clothing. A pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red trimmings and yellow fastening buttons, accompanied with dark green pants. With a kunai holster secured firmly to her outer right thigh and a pair of blue, ankle high kunoichi sandals, with her hitai-ate proudly displaying the leaf symbol on her forehead.

"Kankuro, just put him down." The blonde haired girl sighed in frustration. "You don't want to piss 'him' off, do you?"

"No, this little jerk needs to pay for running into me." The bulky boy stated, bringing his fist back to punch the young boy. "Besides, 'he' isn't here, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"You know." A low voice spoke from directly behind Kankuro made itself known, causing the poor Suna teen to jump. "Drag night is on Tuesday evenings at the Rusty Kunai Bar, but for crying out loud man, not in front of the children."

Face burning red with embarrassment, the Suna teen dropped the young boy, earning a slight 'eep' from him as he landed on his rump, and turned to face the blonde haired teen. It didn't help matters that two of the three girls were currently laughing at his expense, while the bun haired girl had stars in her eyes as she gazed upon the blonde behind him, or rather, what the blonde held. Turning to meet the upstart, he was swiftly met with a slight pressure to his throat. Casting his eyes down, Kankuro could make out what appeared to be a black, blade like weapon behind held in a reverse grip position in the blondes hand, aimed directly at his jugular.

"Now, normally I would ask why Suna Shinobi are in Konoha, but I am going to guess you are here to partake in the Chunin Exams." Naruto commented as he withdraw his blade, now that Konohamaru was out of danger. Taking a step back away from the black clad teen.

"That is correct umm." The blonde girl answered, once she had reigned in her laughter at her brothers expense.

"Naruto." The blonde hanyou replied. "Naruto Uzumaki, and may I have the name of such a beautiful desert flower?"

"Te-Temari." The blonde girl blushed at the teen's compliment, while Kankuro fumed at the blonde that was flirting with his sister. "Temari of the Wind, and this idiot that steals my make up is my brother, Kankuro."

"A pleasure to meet you, Temari-chan." The blonde stated as he gently took hold of the Suna girls hand and gave a light kiss on her knuckles, causing her to blush even more at the gesture.

"It's not make up!" Kankuro exclaimed, interrupting the moment between the two blondes. "It's war paint!"

"If you say so." Naruto shrugged, turning his attention back to the Suna boy. "As I said, drag night is on Tuesdays at the Rusty Kunai, enjoy yourself."

This earned another round of laughter from Sakura, Temari, and Konohamaru, causing the black clad Suna teen to fume further as his hands itched to pull the massive bundle that was secured to his back out, and put the blonde upstart in his place. Meanwhile, the bun haired girl still seemed to be in a trance as she stared blankly at the blonde hanyou. Noticing this, Naruto moved over to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face a few times before she snapped out of her daze.

"Hey, welcome back, have a nice trip?" Naruto smirked, causing the poor girl to blush in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I just kind of zone out when I see a new unique weapon, being Konoha's Weapon's Mistress and all." The dark brown haired girl replied. "Name's Tenten Higurashi."

"Pleasure to meet you, since you were spacing out I guess I should re-introduce myself. I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He introduced himself for a second time, much to Tenten's embarrassment for being reminded that she had been day dreaming about the blondes weapon, which prompted her to perk up and look at the blonde questionably.

"Um, what exactly was that kind of weapon?" She asked.

"This?" Naruto asked as he summoned for the black tanto once more, stilling holding it in a reverse grip position, earning a nod from the bun haired girl as her eyes start to glaze over upon seeing the weapon once more. "This is my Dark Blade technique from my blood line. Essentially, it's a form of Yin release, allowing me to manipulate the darkness element into physical form."

"That….is so cool!" Tenten gushed as her eyes developed a star struck look as she imagined all sorts of possibilities such a technique could produce.

"It gets even better." Sakura commented as she approached the group, catching the bun haired girls attention. "Any weapon formed from his Dark Blade technique will not dull, lose its edge, and is pretty much indestructible."

"Wait, I know you." Tenten commented as she pointed towards Sakura." Aren't you one of those fan girls for that brooding emo Uchiha?"

At this, Sakura couldn't help but allow her head to drop in shame at being reminded of possibly the worst mistake she had ever made in her short life so far.

"Please don't remind me of that." The pinkette sighed. "Those really were not my proudest of days."

"That's in the past now, Sakura-chan here has improved by leaps and bounds since her academy days." Naruto stated matter of factually, defending his mate.

"Yeah, all it took was the bastard to nearly kill me to open my eyes." Sakura half grumbled, recounting the events that occurred during her first mission outside of the village. Hearing this, Tenten, Temari, Kankuro, and even Konohamaru's eyes widened in disbelief at the implication.

"You don't mean that he…." Tenten couldn't even finished the question, clearly disgusted by the Uchiha's actions.

"Yeah, bastard switched places with me so I could take the blows meant for him." The pinkette growled. "Thankfully Haku-chan wasn't aiming to kill, only to incapacitate."

"Wait, you mean Haku that is currently currently working in the hospital?" The bun haired girl inquired, having recalled seeing someone by that name tending to her team mates injuries on occasion when they would go over board on their training.

"Yup," Naruto chuckled. "She's one of my girlfriends. Her dream is to be the number one Iryo-nin in all of the Elemental Nations."

"Wait….what do you mean _**one**_ of your girlfriends?" Kankuro inquired, though both girls had the same question running through their mind as well.

"The short version is that Naruto-kun is the last of two clans." Sakura explained, catching the groups attention.

"So lucky bastard is in the CRA then." The black clad Suna boy commented, knowing full well the benefits of being in the program. A hint of jealousy in his tone. Though his lecherous thoughts had only earned him a bop on the head by an irate sister.

"Yes, I submitted myself into the CRA, but not for the reasons you girls think." Naruto stated, seeing the angered looks from both Temari and Tenten. "I took the initiative because I knew once my heritage got out, the Council would force their daughters and others on me and I refuse to be in any relationship that has no love in it. So by making the first move, I got to dictate my terms, and my terms are simple. Free choice."

Hearing this, both Temari and Tenten calmed down slightly, a bit surprised that the blonde in front of them had such fore thought to avoid having other women being put in such a predicament with no choice. Turning towards the pink haired girl, the bun haired girl spoke.

"You're one of his girlfriends too, aren't you." It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yeah." Sakura blushed slightly. "I was already slowly gaining a crush for him during our mission to Nami no Kuni, but I fully fell for him when he took care of me after the incident. Since then, well, it's only been better."

"Wait, that Uchiha prick is the last of his clan too, does that mean he can be in the CRA as well?" Tenten asked, a little worried, since after hearing what the raven haired boy did to his own team mate, she knew there was very little chance he would be a kind as Naruto was with such a program.

"He was." Naruto sighed. "Tried to use the act to force Haku-chan and a few others to be with him. Fortunately, they were already involved with me, so they were spared from that fate. After that, Sasuke-teme threw a massive fit and pulled himself from the program, shortly after, the old man banned him entirely from entering it in the future."

"Ain't that right, Uke-chan?" Naruto commented, looking towards a tree branch just above the group, prompting the others to look up and see the lone Uchiha standing above them. A scowl on his face due to the blondes new nickname for him as he jumped down, just outside of the group of people. "The raccoon can come out to play as well."

At this, a swirl of sand appeared in the center of the group, revealing a fair skinned boy with short and spiky auburn hair. His green eyes lacking any pupils or eyebrows, with tanuki-like black rings around his eyes, as well as the kanji for 'love' above his left eye. His attired consisted of a short sleeved black body suit with an open neck, and almost full length leggings. A white cloth wraps around his right shoulder and the left side of his hip, with a wide brown leather strap that supports the massive gourd on his back. His Suna hitai-ate wrapped around the aforementioned leather strap.

"He-hey Gaara." Kankuro stammered in fear at the appearance of his younger brother. Knowing full well the youngest of the three had observed his prior actions. "Listen, we-we were just messing around is all, and…."

"You are a disgrace to our village, Kankuro." The red headed boy identified as Gaara stated coldly. "Now shut up, or I'll kill you."

Meanwhile in Kirigakure, an auburn haired beauty sneezed, interrupting her day dream about a certain blonde hanyou, causing her to scowl.

'_Either Naruto-kun is thinking about me, or someone stole my line.__'_ She mentally pondered. _'__Well, Naruto-kun is allowed to fantasize about me, he is my fiance after all. But if I find that someone stole my line, I will melt their balls off."_

Back in Konoha, Gaara felt a foreign sensation as a slight shiver traveled up his spine, prompting him to discreetly create a sand barrier around his crotch area, unnoticed to those around him. Mentally shaking off the strange experience, the raccoon eyed boy turned his attention towards his fellow Suna shinobi with a glare.

"It annoys me that you'd lose control in a quarrel with children." The red headed Suna-nin stated coldly. "Have you forgotten why we came here?"

"But Gaara….they started it." Kankuro attempted to defend himself. "The little shrimp slammed into me!"

"Kankuro, shut up." Gaara stated icily once more, though oddly enough didn't finish with the threat of death like he did the last time.

"You're right, Gaara." The blade clad, make up wearing Suna-nin replied nervously. "I was out of line."

"We're sorry Gaara." Temari said, equally afraid of the red headed boy.

"Sorry for my team's actions." Gaara sighed, turning his attention to the Konoha-nin. "I am Gaara of the Sand, Suna Genin here for the Chunin Exams."

"Tenten Higarashi, Weapons Mistress of Konoha." The bun haired girl introduced herself with a slight bow, though never took her eyes off of the three Suna-nin. "Also partaking in the Chunin Exams."

"Sakura Haruno, also participating in the exams." The pinkette stated.

"Naruto Uzumaki, The Shadow Fox." The blonde hanyou grinned. "And yes, I am also in the exams."

"You should ignore these weaklings. I'm the only one you need to concern yourself with." The Uchiha sneered, causing the group to turn their attention towards him. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Whatever." Temari rolled her eyes at the raven haired teens antics. While she would say the raven haired boy was cute, his attitude was a big turn off. The blonde one though, not only was he cute, but he had a much warmer personality that seemed to make him easy to open up to. _'Hmm, I wonder when all of this is over, __if __I could probably talk him into taking me on a date. He is part of the CRA after all.'_

Kankuro watched as his sister developed a light blush when she looked at the blonde Konoha-nin, grinning slightly to himself about the amount of black mail material he had just acquired. However, Sasuke had also seen the blush and had other, far more selfish thoughts.

"If you prove yourself to be strong, woman. You'll be given the honor to bear my children" The Uchiha arrogantly stated, his eyes leveling on Temari. He then turned his eyes towards the bun haired girl. "The same goes for you."

At this, both Termari and Tenten curled their lips in disgust, appalled by the boys proclamation as he walked away from the group, feeling he had said his piece. The Uchiha's statement didn't sit well with the others present either, as Gaara made a silent vow to destroy the Uchiha. Even Konohamaru had a face of disgust at the boys display of arrogance.

"Temari, Kankuro." Gaara called out, catching both his team mates attention. "We're leaving."

Nodding, both of the Suna-nin began to make their way towards the academy. However, the red headed boy remained. Staring at Naruto, a sadistic smile spreading across his face.

"You are interesting." Gaara commented, the psychotic grin never leaving his face. "Mother is intrigued by you, and she really wants your blood."

Naruto stood there, a bit confused at the red heads words. Not the fact that the Suna boy had threatened to kill him, he was use to such threats, but by the fact that he referred to his 'mother'.

'_Shukaku was a male, right?'_ The blonde mentally inquired to his vixen.

'_**Yeah, only myself and my sister, Matatabi are the only girls from all the Bijuu.'**_ Ahri replied, equally confused as to why her brothers container was referring to him as his mother. _**'**__**So, I don't know why he is having his container call him mother.'**_

'_Questions for later I suppose.'_ Naruto mentally sighed. Though he did recall one other thing about the red headed jinchuriki. _'At any rate, I am going to need to fix his seal. __It already looked weak and about to break at any moment.'_

"Guess I'll see you guys later." Tenten commented. "It was nice to meet you both. Naruto-san, Sakura-san."

Both hanyous watched as the weapon's mistress took off towards the academy, no doubt to meet up with her team, before Naruto turned his attention to Konohamaru, whom was still standing where he had landed on his rear after the Suna-nin had dropped him.

"Umm, Naruto-san…." The young boy began.

"You want to know about Sasuke, don't you." Naruto finished for the boy, picking up on the young boys thoughts of what he had just witnessed, earning a nod in confirmation. "In short, Sasuke is the product of taking shortcuts. While he does have a natural talent, he has been given everything he has desired as no one has ever told him no. As such, he feels that anything he wants, whether it be a jutsu, a weapon, or even a person, should belong to him. Simply because he wants it."

"Is this what you meant when you said that there are no short cuts?" Konohamaru inquired, remembering the blondes words months prior. At the time, his private tutor had told him to ignore the boys words, and that Naruto was nothing but a delinquent that no body loved or cared for. Now, he could see that not only was there people who loved him and cared for him, but that the blonde was also a highly skilled shinobi for his age. Considering the way he handled the large bully, and how he stared down the red headed boy without so much as blinking.

"Mostly." The blonde nodded. "But also because there is nothing in life that is free. Everything you want or desire, or even need comes at a price. Be it of monetary value, emotional or physical."

"I think I understand." The young boy replied, as he mulled over the blondes words. "From here on out, I will train hard and earn my spot as Hokage someday!"

"I look forward to seeing the results." Naruto chuckled at the boys enthusiasim, before turning to Sakura. "Well, shall we?"

"Let's." The pinkette grinned as she grabbed hold of the blondes hand as the two departed in the direction of the academy. Seemingly unaware that a pair of eyes were watching them.

* * *

**Iruka**

The scarred chunin followed after the two remaining members of Team 7, having just witnessed their exchange with the three foreign genin from Sunagakure. Iruka had to admit that he was impressed with how his surrogate brother had handled the three Suna-nin. Able to de-escalate the situation before it escalated further.

What had surprised him further was learning that his own team mate was one of his girlfriends. While he knew that Naruto had submitted himself into the Clan Restoration Act, he was unaware of all the girls involved with the blonde, and last he recalled, the Haruno girl was head over heels for the Uchiha boy. He momentarily pondered what could have lead to the girl switching her focus from one boy to the other. Though he had to admit that it was a change for the better. It seemed as if Naruto had managed to get the girl off her diets and take her kunoichi career far more seriously, as she appeared to have developed some muscle mass. Not to mention her posture was one of self confidence. Something she severely lacked during the academy.

'_Still, with those two together, I know exactly how I can test him.' _Iruka thought to himself before he disappeared from his position. Hoping to catch the two of them off guard before they reached the academy.

Getting into position a few meters ahead of the duo, Iruka ensured his disguise was in place, posing as a rogue Iwa-nin with a vendetta against the boys father. He watched as the blonde leaned over and whispered something in the ear of his pink haired team mate and lover, causing her to giggle slightly before he made his move. With the speed and accuracy of years of training, Iruka had effortlessly dropped behind Sakura and grabbed hold of her to retrain her movements while he brought a kunai up to her throat in a threatening gesture.

This prompted Naruto to turn and look at their assailant, an irate expression on his face. Clearly not pleased that someone was threatening his mate in such a fashion.

"Now, this is what you're going to do boy." Iruka instructed, disguising his voice via a seal on his throat. "You are going to bring all of your fathers scrolls to the top of the Hokage Monument."

"And if I don't?" Naruto inquired in an eerily calm voice, which kind of shook Iruka.

"Then I will just have to spill this pretty little things blood all over the ground." The disguised Iruka threatened, further implying the point by bringing the kunai closer to the girls neck. Unseen to him though, his would be hostage had a bored expression on her face. She knew she was in no real danger as she was well aware that any injury he may give her would be nothing, as her hanyou physiology would heal any injury she may receive.

"I have a better idea." The blonde spoke, his voice still holding the cold as steel tone. "You're going to let her go, and I may let you walk away with most of your limbs attached."

"I don't think you quite understand the situation you are in. So let me enlighten you boy." Iruka growled.

However, he didn't get a chance to react as suddenly his hostage disappeared from his grasp, literally falling within the shadow below them. At the same time, Naruto had dropped into his own shadow and within the blink of an eye, the blonde had rocketed out of the shadow beneath Iruka, where as Sakura had reemerged in the spot where Naruto had once been standing. Connecting with the poor Chunin's jaw with a powerful impact, lifting the man off of his feet by nearly half a meter. However, the blondes assault was not over just yet, as he rounded in mid air and brought a sharp kick into the mans sternum, sending him flying back into the wall with enough force to crack the concrete.

With his vision all blurry, Iruka could barely make out the blonde that was now stalking towards him. Struggling slightly, he lifted off his mask that had concealed his face and deactivated the seal that was on his throat, returning his voice to normal.

"Wa-wait, it's me." He gasped out, trying to catch his breath. "It's me Naruto."

"I know, Iruka-sensei." The blonde grinned mischievously. "I actually knew the entire time."

This caused the scarred chunin to freeze in shock. If what the blonde genin said was true, he knew it was him the entire time, and still allowed it to play out.

"If you knew it was me, then why did you attack me like that?" Iruka inquired, casting a glare at the young hanyou. "And further more, how did you know it was me?"

"In order, you threatened my mate. My pride and her honor would not allow that to stand. So you had to be punished. You should be thankful I held back." Naruto stated, the grin never leaving his face. "As for how I knew it was you, aside from your scent; I picked up your chakra signature when we were talking with the Suna-nin."

Iruka could only allow his jaw to drop, having been informed that the young blonde had had him pegged pretty much as soon as he came into the area. Making the instructor wonder just how good the boys sensory abilities were.

"Anyways, as fun as it's been Iruka-sensei, we really need to get to the Academy before the exams start." The blonde stated as he began walking away, with Sakura falling in step along side him. "Catch ya later!"

Iruka let out a small groan in pain as he watched the two disappear down the road. Leaning back on the concrete wall, he reluctantly had to admit that the boy he saw as a younger brother was more then ready for the exams before him. As he lay there, a shadow loomed over him.

"I take it he passed your test, Iruka-san?"

* * *

**Academy**

As the two hanyous approached the Academy entrance, they were greeted with a disgruntled Uchiha waiting for them. Seeing the two arrived, the brooding avenger kicked off the post he was leaning against and made his way towards the two, all the while glaring at the blonde.

"About time you two showed up." He remarked with a sneer. "I've been waiting for nearly an hour."

"First off, you've only been here twenty minutes, at max. So stop being such a drama queen." Naruto pointed out. "Secondly, you have no choice but to wait for us, since the exams require the entire team."

"Whatever, lets just go already." Sasuke stated, turning towards the academy entrance. "We've wasted enough time."

"Well, he seems to be in a good mood." The blonde commented, earning a giggle from his pink haired mate.

"But it seems he has it out for you more then usual today." Sakura commented, noticing the increase of glares directed at the blonde hanyou during each encounter.

"He ran into Izumi-chan and I while we were returning from our date." Naruto informed her. "Made some disparaging remarks about her and the usual, 'you should submit to me and redeem yourself' tirade. Izumi-chan shut him up quickly though, when she said she renounced her Uchiha heritage and stated she would proudly take up the Uzumaki name."

"Ah, so that's why he is in such a lovely mood." The pinkette chuckled.

"Well, let us be off." Naruto stated. "His Royal Duck Ass will be upset if we don't make haste."

This of course earned another giggle from his pink haired mate.

Entering the Academy, they were greeted with a swarm of participants for the exams. Some of which were just standing around and talking with their teams, while others were attempting and in most cases, failing, to intimidate other teams. Though it wasn't missed to the two hanyou that a number of the male participants were leering at Sakura with lust filled eyes, though both shrugged it off, knowing full well that a majority of the teams wouldn't even make it to the end.

Moving through the crowd of genin, the trio went up the first flight of steps, only to be greeted with an even larger crowd surrounding a single door, labeled 301, with two genin seemingly standing guard at said door. Preventing others from entering the room. This was further punctuated when one of the genin guarding the door delivered a brutal blow to a green suited boy with a bowl cut hair style, sending him skidding across the floor.

"Is someone as talent-less as you really planning to take the Chunin Exams? Why bother?" The genin with messy brown hair stated condescendingly. "Bunch of wet behind the ears snot noses."

"You said it." His partner smirked.

"Please just let us in." A familiar bun haired girl pleaded, approaching the two guarding the door.

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the genin with the messy hair. The blonde hanyou could see his muscles tense ever so slightly, showing the tell tale sign that he was about to attack the girl approaching him. In the blink of an eye, it appeared as if the blonde hanyou had disappeared from sight, only to reappear in between the bun haired girl and the genin. Blocking a kick aimed at the girls head, earning a gasp in shock from the girl, and a grunt of annoyance from her would be attacker.

"Now, that wasn't very nice." Naruto stated while still gripping the boys shin before roughly pushing it away, causing the boy to stagger slightly before regaining his balance. He then turned and smiled to the bun haired girl. "Hey Kuma-hime."

Tenten couldn't help but to blush at the blondes nickname for her, Bear Princess. Namely because it was different from the usual 'Panda' nicknames she was usually stuck with. Giving her a growing hatred for the beast.

"Good to see you, Naruto-san." She bowed slightly, hoping to hide her blush.

"Now, why would you attack a fellow Konoha genin?" The blonde inquired, turning his attention back towards the two genin blocking the door.

"You misunderstand." The messy haired genin stated.

"We're just trying to spare you is all." His partner finished for him.

"The Chunin Exams are incredibly difficult." The messy haired one continued. "We should know, we've failed it three times so far."

"There are those who have made it, only to immediately give up being a shinobi afterwards." The other one stated. "Others ended up being crippled and some reduced to nothing more then mere vegetables. And these are only the ones who have survived."

This earned a chorus of murmuring echoing through the crowd of genin hopefuls. Many of which were beginning to doubt their resolve and their ability to complete the exams.

"Besides that, Chunin are cell commanders. They lead their units." The messy haired boy continued his lecture. "The responsibilities for failed missions and dead shinobi rest firmly on their shoulders."

"And you little punks have the nerve to think you are ready for this?" The other snorted.

Once again, a second chorus of murmuring could be heard flowing through the crowd, however it was ended when the sound of a single individual slowly clapping interrupted their thoughts as the crowd focused on the blonde genin in front of the two guards.

"Impressive little speech there, Kotetsu." Naruto commented with a smirk as the identified Kotetsu's jaw hit the floor. "You did good too Izumo, though I gotta say, your henges make you both look uglier then usual."

"How the hell did you know it was us?" Both exclaimed, earning a chuckle from the blonde.

"You can change your appearance, but you can't change your laziness." The blonde chuckled playfully. "Both of you were standing in the same posture you two always stand in at the main gates."

Both of the Eternal Gate Guards allowed their henges to drop, as they lowered their head in shame for being outed so easily by a mere genin.

"Whatever." A voice spoke up from the back crowd as a figure roughly pushed his way through. "Just drop this pathetic genjutsu. I have business on the third floor."

"You're an idiot." Sakura sighed as she approached where Naruto was standing. "That was to weed out those truly not ready for the exams. Now there will be countless more competition going forward."

"Good, more to witness an Uchiha Elite as I dominate these exams." Sasuke smirked arrogantly, prompting both Naruto and Sakura to shake their head in disappointment at their team mates antics.

Since their little set up had been exposed, but of the Chunin that had been disguised as genin lifted their genjutsu, revealing the flight of steps that lead to the next floor. Without saying a word, the lone Uchiha brushed passed the two and ascended the stairs, not bothering to see if his team mates were following or not. Both hanyous were about to follow after their team mate when a voice called out to them, or rather, to Sakura.

"You are Sakura, aren't you?" The bowl haired boy said, approaching the two. "My name is Rock Lee. Would you like to go out with me? I'll protect you with my life!"

"Wha!?" The pinkette exclaimed in confusion, as the boys proposal had literally come out of no where. "I am going to have to respectfully decline Lee-san; as I already have a mate."

Hearing this, the green clad boy looked to the blonde that stood next to her before allowing his eyes to travel down, seeing the two holding hands. Seeing this, a fire of determination roared to life in the boys eyes as he turned fully towards Naruto.

"I challenge you for Sakura's hand!" Rock Lee exclaimed exuberantly, flashing his sensei's trade mark smile.

"I decline." Naruto simply stated, though there was an undertone of irritation in his voice at the unintentional insinuation that his mate was a mere prize to be won. "Because Sakura-chan is not some prize to be won, like a trinket at a street festival. She is a strong willed kunoichi with her own free will."

At this, Lee realized how his words sounded and began to profusely apologize to the pinkette and the blonde before him. Both of which shrugged it off with a light warning to think before he speaks in the future. Of course this earned the duo a spiel of various challenges the green clad genin would do to atone for his mistake.

Meanwhile, Tenten's other team mate glared at the blonde with intense hatred. To hime, Naruto was the sole reason that both Hinata and Hanabi had rebelled against the Clan Elders teachings and had forsaken their clans proud traditions. Silently, the Hyuga prodigy seethed at the blonde as he watched the duo ascend the flight of steps.

"Something wrong, Neji?" Tenten inquired, seeing the look that washed over her team mates face.

"Nothing, we're wasting time." He commented as he began to make his way up the stairs. _'Just you wait, Naruto Uzumaki. I will end you and bring honor back to the Hyuga Clan.'_

* * *

**Team 7**

The trio that made up Team 7 proceeded to make their way along the hall way towards the real room that the tests were to begin in. Though to their surprise, they saw Kakashi leaning against the wall, reading the next volume of Demon Heart, and by the looks of it, it was almost finished with it. This of course prompted both Naruto and Sakura to smirk knowingly.

"Good to see you all made it." He lazily commented, not looking up from his book. "It would have been a shame if one of you decided not to come, or attempted to do this on your own."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"It's rather simple." The silver haired jonin stated as he closed the book, looking over his team. "This exam is designed for three man teams. As such, if a full team is not present, they would not be allowed to partake in the exams."

At this, both Sakura and Naruto couldn't help but smile at this. Both had a suspicion that something like this would be involved with the exams. Why else would entry into the exams require not only the team's sensei to sponsor them, but also require all three team members to submit their own forms.

"Anyways, I wish you three the best of luck." Kakashi gave his trade mark eye smile. "And look out for one another."

"Don't worry Taida-sensei." Sakura grinned.

"We got this." Naruto finished.

Sasuke merely gave his typical grunt in response as he set off towards the exam room, with the other two following behind him. However, Naruto briefly stopped and reached into his jacket.

"Hey, Taida-sensei." Naruto called out as he tossed the item he just removed from his jacket towards the silver haired jonin. "Catch!"

Kakashi caught the item in question and took a moment to examine it before he smirked, as he looked over the cover of the third volume of the Demon Heart books.

'_I wonder why he had a spare copy?'_ The silver haired jonin mentally questioned as he watched his three students disappear through the large doors of the examination room.

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes:** After a bit of deliberation, I decided to end this chapter here. Just before they enter the room. So next chapter will kick off with the Rookies meeting for the first time since they all graduated from the Academy. Not to mention, the much awaited confrontation between Ino and Sakura, just need to plan out what is going to be said between the two.

We also got to meet the Sand Siblings, as well as a different take on Naruto lecturing Konohamaru about taking short cuts, and using Sasuke as a prime example of someone who has taken short cuts in life. Also hinted at a bit of one sided animosity between Neji and Naruto, much in thanks to the clan elders manipulating the poor Hyuga prodigy, as was hinted a few chapters back.

Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews, or hit me up with a private message!


	32. Chapter 32

**Authors Notes:** Last time on Dragonball Z….. wait, wrong show….

Last chapter we saw Naruto and company formally enter the Chunin Exams, as well as bumping in to a cross dresser that steals his sister's make up, a beautiful desert rose, and an insomniac tanuki. Not to mention laying any concerns Iruka had about them being ready to rest. Too bad for Iruka, he decided to use one of the blonde's mates as a hostage.

We also got to meet Tenten, and already, our little weapon's mistress is transfixed on Naruto's unique weapons. Like seriously, can you imagine how much fun she is going to have once she joins Naruto's growing family? Which yes, will happen in the coming chapters. Also on that note, I figured it would be funny if Tenten was becoming more and more annoyed with panda-themed nicknames, so much so, that she is beginning to hate the actual animal.

Not to mention we got a bit more of Sasuke acting like a douche, and implying that if both Temari and Tenten proved their strength, they would be granted the honor of bearing his children. Too bad for the brooding chicken ass that both girls have already set their sights on a certain blonde half demon.

Now, there are questions about how Neji is in this story, with him essentially being the Hyuga Elder's lapdog.

In short, the Hyuga Elder's have been manipulating Neji since his father died. Making him believe Hinata was at fault for his fathers death, and at the same time, making him believe Naruto is a bad influence for both of Hiashi's daughters. Since our little blonde physically represents free choice and strong will, something the Elder's of the clan don't want to run rampart within the compound. Hence Neji's hatred towards the blonde.

As stated many chapters back, they tried and failed to manipulate Hanabi in the same fashion and attempted to turn her against her own sister. Fortunately, Naruto had managed to get her to think for herself. Which is another reason the Elder's hate him. I am planning to expand more on this with flashbacks during his match against Hinata.

However next up, we finally get to see the first part of the confrontation between Ino and Sakura, since our little blonde gossip queen is out of the loop on current events.

* * *

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* * *

**Review Corner**

_**xxPercyRoxxx –**_ The match ups will be canon, but the fights will end differently for most. In short, Hinata will win against Neji, and Sakura will dominate Ino, since both are way different from their canon counterparts.

_**AJGuardian –**_ That could very well be arranged for this chapter.

_**Laverniak – **_Well, in order….

1\. There will actually be two that take Sasuke's place for being bashed after he betrays the village. Both of which have already been introduced in the story in previous chapters. I think you will enjoy who I have in mind.

2\. Sort of. Her relationship with Naruto will come out during the Finals for the exams. I haven't fully decided on if she will use any of her hanyou abilities during her final match.

3\. Actually, Gaara here is the same as he is in the manga, since that is where I picked up most of his dialogue for his debut into the story. Only changing around a few things. If he was really that unhinged, Suna would never have had him enter the exams.

4\. I have something very, very special for that. You'll just have to wait and see, sadly, that won't come up till towards the very end of the story. So, grab a Snicker's, it's going to be awhile.

_**Neroblace11 –**_ I am unsure how I am going to do that fight at the Valley of the End between Sasuke and Naruto. I know Naruto is powerful enough to take out Sasuke, so I need something that will allow Sasuke to still escape so he can master his Curse Mark.

_**Abur Rauf Aymaan –**_ Simply put, as a duty to the village and his Hokage, which will be Tsunade at the time. There won't be any promise to bring him back or anything.

_**SelenetheNerd –**_ Well, here is another fix! And it will be Hinata putting Neji into the ground this time around.

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Fubuki*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Izumi*, Koyuki*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yakumo*, Yugao*

**Has yet to court -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Isaribi, Kaguya, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have accepted to bear Naruto's mark.

* * *

**Darkness Falls**

Chapter 32

_So there I was._

_Hundreds of bandits and enemy shinobi had surrounded my comrades and I. Shino had fought bravely, taking out a few of the bandits before they had finally overwhelmed him and knocked him out. Kurenai-sensei, Hinata-chan, and Sakura were all huddled in the corner of the camp site, as dozens of bandits closed in on them. It was clear as to what these pathetic fools intended to do with these fine ladies, and my destined mate. To my right, the blonde dobe was in a fetal position, crying his eyes out. Too scared to do anything. A really pathetic sight._

_Seeing this, I knew what had to be done and that I was the only one who could do it._

_Looking up at the full moon, I closed my eyes and allowed my inner beast to take form. A secret I never told anyone about, not even my own family. That when I was young, the divine feral being known as Fenrir had chosen me to be her avatar on the mortal earth, and later to be her mate in the afterlife. So I allowed my feral side to come out, my eyes sharpening, my teeth turning into fangs and my finger nails turning into claws. All to dispense justice on those that would threaten my pack._

_With a bestial roar, I launched forward and began to swing wildly in every direction. Cleaving the scum in half with each blow from my powerful arms. As I tore through the sea of bandits, body parts were strewn left and right, littering the ground with blood and gore. Screams of pain and agony erupted from my enemies as I cut through them, until I finally reached my destination. Panting heavily, I stood before my dear sweet mate in my bestial form, my claws dripping with blood from my enemies._

_I watched as their eyes combed over my inhuman body, fearing rising up within as I worried whether or not they would accept this side of me. However, as I gazed down at the three beauties before me, I saw it in their eyes. The complete look of awe and admiration, and above all, acceptance._

"_Kiba… I…." My destined mate stammered, clearly entranced by my strong alpha appearance._

"_Hinata-chan!" The blonde dope called out as he rushed to her side, grasping her in a hug. "Are you alright?"_

_Seeing this, I couldn't stop myself from growling in displeasure of this weak fool holding my destined mate. However, what happened next had surprised me. My dear sweet Hinata had pushed the idiot off her, and glared at him._

"_Don't you dare touch me." She scowled at the shocked blonde dobe._

"_Bu-but Hinata-chan….." The weak fool stuttered._

"_Shut up, dobe." My precious little flower sneered. "How could I ever love someone as weak as you."_

_I couldn't help but to smirk at her words._

_To even further prove her point, she got up from her sitting position and walked over to me, wrapping her arms around my strong left arm, leaning her head on my shoulder._

"_It is clear now, that Kiba-kun is an alpha male and deserves my love and loyalty." Hinata proclaimed._

"_Hinata-chan is right." Sakura spoke up, taking my right arm, mirroring Hinata's actions of leaning her head on my shoulder. "You are nothing but a pathetic loser, but Kiba-kun is strong and powerful."_

_Grinning, I looked down at the blonde dobe who was no crying in shame due to the beautiful angels insulting him. However, despite how weak and pathetic he was, I couldn't allow this to go on. After all, the dobe was still part of my pack, and as a true Alpha, I had to look out for all members of my pack, even the weak ones._

"_Ladies, please do not blame him." I spoke, catching the two lovely ladies attention, both of which swooned at the sound of my rich, baritone voice. "After all, it is hard to compete with an alpha such as me."_

"_You're right Kiba-kun." Hinata stated, snuggling onto my arm. "No one can compete with you."_

"_Still." Kurenai-sensei commented as she approached me, swaying her lovely hips from side to side in a sensual manner. "I will need to report to Hokage-sama about his failure to act, which may have him stripped of being a Shinobi."_

"_It is probably best that way." I replied with a sigh._

"_So, Kiba-kun." Sakura smirked. "How about all three of us thank you for your bravery and opening our eyes, allowing us to see what a true alpha is?"_

"And that's exactly what happened." Kiba grinned as he had finished his tale of how his first kill went. All the while, the group of Konoha genin had confused looks on their faces, whilst Hinata had her nose buried in the book she was reading, seemingly ignoring what was being said before she cast her gaze upwards, and peered at the group of genin whom were now gawking at the Inuzuka boy, doubt evident on their faces.

"He forgot to mention what happened afterwards." The Hyuga heiress commented with a smirk.

"What happened after?" Kiba asked, a little confused.

"You know, where I took you to my home, striped you down and blind folded you before I tied you to my bed." She grinned even more, earning a perverted look from the feral boy as he nodded his head in agreement with what she was saying.

"Oh yeah, that part." He replied, wiping the drool from his mouth.

"And then I put on my twelve inch strap-on and mounted you well into the morning hours." She finished with a sadistic smirk as she watched all the color drain from his face, meanwhile the group of genin began to burst out laughing at the poor boys misfortune.

"And you loved every minute of it." Hinata finished in a sing song voice, completely shattering the poor boys masculinity in front of everyone.

"While it is natural for one with a fragile ego to exaggerate events, they usually keep it within the realm of what is logically possible." Shino commented in his mono tone voice, causing the poor feral boy to sulk even further. "Besides, I do not think Kurenai-sensei would appreciate you depicting her in such a manner."

Hearing this, the feral boy felt a lump form in the back of his throat. In the boys delusional fantasy, he had completely forgotten that his sensei was a staunch opposition against anything perverted in nature. Something she had made very clear to the rest of his team when she had trapped him in a Genjutsu after he introduced himself and his dream to have, in his own words, 'dozens of hot bitches', to surround himself with. His sensei's retribution had been swift and severe.

Kiba unconsciously shivered at the memory, not wanting to relive the details of the genjutsu ever again.

"Damn, and here I thought I was going to be given the privilege of becoming your slave." A voice sounded from behind the Inuzuka, causing the feral boy to silently groan, turning to face none other then Naruto and the rest of Team 7, with the a fore mentioned blonde smirking. Fortunately for the young Inuzuka, all the attention had shifted from him as a loud squeal echoed throughout the room.

"Sasuke-kun!" A platinum blonde girl exclaimed as she leaped on the back of the lone Uchiha, following behind her were her two team mates, Shikamaru and Choji. "Where have you been, cutie?"

"When I heard your team was going to participate in the exams." She grinned, attempting to snuggle into him as the raven haired boy leaned further away from her. "I could hardly wait! It's so exciting to see you again after all of this time!"

While this was a usual scene most of the Konoha genin were use to, many felt that something was missing. Slowly, the group of Konoha hopefuls cast their eyes over to the blonde girls 'rival', only to find her merely frowning at the scene playing out before her before turning her attention back to her blonde team mate.

"Get off me, Ino." Sasuke grunted as he roughly pushed the blonde girl off of his back, causing her to stumble slightly.

It wasn't missed that the platinum blonde girl looked hurt by the boys rejection, but she quickly shook it away before turning her attention to her rival. Narrowing her eyes as she watched the pinkette converse with Naruto, all while laughing and giggling in response to what the whiskered teen would tell her. To the blonde girls shock, Hinata had joined the duo, giving Sakura a welcoming hug, before turning and wrapping her arms around Naruto's neck and leaning in, giving him a heated kiss before snuggling into the blonde boys arms.

"Oi! Forehead!" Ino called out, snapping out of her shock as she approached the trio, all of whom had turned their attention to her.

"What do you want, Ino-pig?" The pinkette grinned, using her former rival's nick name.

Ino was silent for a handful of seconds, a little caught off guard, as the usual spiteful tone of the insulting name wasn't there. Instead it felt more playful then anything else. Pushing those thoughts away, she focused on the pink haired kunoichi. Noting that her former best friend now stood a bit more confident, not to mention the black low lights that streaked their her bubble gum pink hair, very similar to how Naruto's hair color was.

"I need to speak with you." The blonde girl stated before grabbing the pinkette by the wrist and leading her away into a corner of the room that was empty. Once Ino was satisfied that they were a comfortable distance away from any prying ears, she turned and faced Sakura. "Alright spill it forehead."

"Spill what exactly?" Sakura quirked an eye brow.

"What the hell is going on between you and Naruto-baka?" Ino pressed, narrowing her eyes. Though she did not notice Sakura clinching her fist at the insult directed at her mate. "Last time I saw you, you were leaving his apartment. And now you've even started dying your hair to make it look like his."

'_**Calm down Sakura.'**_ Inner commented. _**'Remember, she doesn't know yet.'**_

"I will ask you not to refer to my mate in such a manner." Sakura stated with a clipped tone, causing a slight shiver to travel down the blonde girls spine. However, one thing did stick out the young Yamanaka, and that was the fact that Sakura referred to Naruto as her 'mate'. Not boyfriend. This further confused the blonde, as she recalled just moments ago that Hinata had been kissing the Uzumaki boy.

"As for the rest." The pinkette continued, crossing her arms over her chest. "I simply grew up."

"What do you mean, 'grew up'?" Ino inquired. "And what do you mean, 'mate'?"

"Both are exactly as they sound, Ino." Sakura replied with a smile. "During my first mission outside of the village, not only did I get my first real taste of what it is to be a kunoichi; but I also got to learn just what kind of person Naruto-kun really is."

"But Hinata…."

"Naruto-kun is the last of his clans." The pinkette interrupted, knowing full well what the blonde was going to say. "As such, he is in the Clan Restoration Act. Meaning he is required to take multiple wives to build his clans back up."

"Last of his clan…wait, that means Sasuke-kun could be in it as well!" Ino exclaimed excitedly, only to see the pinkette shaking her head 'no'.

"Sasuke was in it a few months back." Sakura informed her. "But because he didn't get the girls he wanted, he tossed a fit and got himself removed from the program. And if you don't believe me, you can ask Hokage-sama yourself."

"What...what girls did he want?" Ino asked, a little disheartened by the fact that the brooding Uchiha was no longer in the program.

"He demanded for Hana Inuzuka, Hanabi Hyuga, and Haku." Sakura frowned. "Even worse, he wanted Haku's chakra to be sealed, supposedly for her own protection."

"What? Why?" Ino blinked, finding it odd that he would request someones chakra to be sealed. "And why wouldn't the girls want to be with Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura could only shake her head at the blondes antics, though she did feel a sting of embarrassment as she took in her former rivals actions.

'_Please tell me I wasn't that bad.'_ She mentally begged.

'_**Actually, you were worse.'**_ Inner pointed out hesitantly. _**'Where as Ino would only yell at others for insulting the bastard, you were a bit more physical. **__**Sadly, your main target was Naruto-kun.**__**'**_

Sakura couldn't help but to mentally grimace at that reminder.

"You really don't want to know why he wanted Haku-chan's chakra sealed." The pinkette replied, clinching her fist tightly at the memory. "I will just say that Haku-chan had embarrassed him in Nami no Kuni."

"As for the girls, well." Sakura couldn't help but blush. "They were kind of already with Naruto-kun, well, except Hanabi, she was sort of a last minute thing."

It took nearly a full minute for Ino to completely comprehend and process what she had just been told. Though the main thing that stuck out was that Naruto, the orange wearing idiot all throughout the academy years had not one or two, but six girlfriends at once, since she had already known about the relationship between the blonde and the snake mistress of the village. Even further, the girls the blonde teen was involved with were not just random kunoichi or civilians, but with the exception of Sakura, Haku, and Anko, were members of prominent clans.

"How the hell did this all happen!?" Ino exclaimed, trying to wrap her head around this bit of information.

"Well," Sakura couldn't help but grin. "Perhaps you should try and get to know Naruto-kun better and see for yourself."

Ino could only gawk at the pinkette.

"But what about Sasuke-kun?"

"I'll tell you the same thing Naruto-kun told me." Sakura shrugged. "Pursue him if you want, just don't endanger yourself in doing so. I just hope you don't learn what kind of person Sasuke is the same way I did."

Hearing this, Ino frowned. From the sounds of things, something had happened between Sakura and Sasuke. Something bad. However, before she could question it, a loud commotion drew the two girls attention over to where their teams were. Just in time to see three Oto shinobi attack a silver haired Konoha genin with glasses that neither had seen before.

"We should probably see what that is about." Sakura commented as she proceeded to return to her teams location, mainly to Naruto's side. Leaving Ino behind to ponder their discussion.

'_What happened between Forehead and Sasuke-kun that she has completely given up on him?' _She thought.

* * *

**Moments Earlier**

"Would you guys do us all a favor and just shut up?" A silver haired teenage boy with glasses said as he approached the noisy group of genins.

"Who the hell are you?" Kiba asked/demanded.

"Name's Kabuto." The now identified Kabuto briefly introduced himself before he cast his gaze over the group of genins before him. "You kids need to open your eyes."

"And whys that?" The Inuzuka inquired with a growl.

The new arrival said nothing, and merely gestured at a group of shinobi, wearing the Amagakure headband. All of which were glowering at the rookies, causing the feral boy to flinch slightly under their stare.

"Everyone's on edge waiting to take the exam." Kabuto explained. "I wanted to give you a heads up before someone snaps and beats the crap out of you….but, it's probably unavoidable. Like all rookies, you think you know everything. I remember what it was like."

This earned a series of frowns from the newly dubbed 'rookie' group.

"So you're saying this is your second time attempting the exams?" Tenten asked.

"Seventh actually." The silver haired bespectacled teen chuckled. "Twice a year for..hm, four years now."

"Wow, you must suck then." Kiba commented with a scoff.

"Maybe." Kabuto shrugged, ignoring the insult. "Or maybe these exams are much harder then you think."

"If you've been through this seven times already, you should have some helpful advice for us rookies, right?" Naruto commented with a slight grin.

"Suppose I could." The silver haired teen replied with a grin of his own. Pulling out a deck of what appeared to be playing cards.

"What are those?" Choji inquired.

"These little babies are known as Shinobi Skill cards." Kabuto gave a brief explanation. "To put it simply, they contain information about the skills we use. Transformed into symbols and burned into the cards using chakra."

"It's taken me four years to collect all of the intelligence needed for this exam." He continued. "In all, there are over two hundred cards."

"Do you also have dossier cards?" Sasuke asked as he approached the bespectacled teen.

"Someone participating you have a particular interest in?" Kabuto grinned.

"Gaara from Sunagakure, Rock Lee of Konoha, and Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha." The raven haired boy listed off the names. Catching the groups attention, as Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha, and the silver haired teen.

'_**I don't trust this Kabuto, Naruto-kun.' **_Ahri commented with a growl in the back of his mind.

'_I agree, he smells like snakes.'_ The blonde replied mentally. _'Just like Mizuki-teme.'_

'_**Keep an eye on him.'**_

Mentally nodding, Naruto turned his full attention back to the cards just as Kabuto channeled some of his chakra into three separate cards. Before flipping one over and looking it over, reading the information that appeared on the back.

"Let's see here, Rock Lee of Konoha." Kabuto read off. "He's a year older than you. Missions to date, his team has completed twenty D-rank missions, and eleven C-ranked missions. His teams sensei is Might Guy, and his taijutsu physical skills have grown exponentially over the past year. Though he has no other talents worth mentioning."

"Next is Gaara of the Sand from Sunagakure, oh wow." He commented, giving an impressed whistle as he read over the card. "No D-rank missions, eight C-ranked missions and one B-ranked mission. Not many rookies get B-ranked assignments. Sadly, since he is from another country, I have less on him, but I do have one thing very interesting about him. He's come back from every mission completely unscratched."

"Lastly, we have Naruto Uzumaki." Kabuto said as he flipped over the last card. "Also known as The Shadow Fox of Konoha, interesting alias. Member of the illustrious Team 7, under Kakashi Hataki. Their team has completed twelve D-rank missions, one B-rank mission, and two A-rank missions."

Silence and shock echoed throughout the group at the revelation of the teams mission accomplishments. While it was extremely rare to get a B-rank mission as a genin, it was nearly unheard of to receive an A-rank mission, let alone two. And to have completed them.

"Wow." Kabuto commented, clearly impressed and secretly worried. "Anyways, during the Academy he was considered the dead last of his class, however field reports completely contradict that assessment. Furthermore, he seems to have a unique bloodline that gives him limited power over the darkness element and shadows. Lastly, his the last of two clans, the Uzumaki and one other that is not known. Also seems like he has already got a jump start on rebuilding his clans, with his fiances being…."

Kabuto was cut off as the card he was reading from began to crumple in on itself as dark energy surrounded it. Looking up, he could see Naruto glaring down at him.

"They don't need to know about my personal life." The blonde growled. "And awfully suspicious that you would have such detailed information on me, considering this is my first time taking the exams."

"Heh, sorry about that my friend." The silver haired teen attempted to placate the upset hanyou. "And I may have bribed a few higher ranked shinobi for some additional information."

"Which could be considered borderline treason, since you've been friendly with this information with foreign shinobi present." Naruto pointed out, causing the bespectacled teen to gulp in fear.

"So, anything else you can tell us?" Shikamaru asked, allowing the silver haired teen to change the direction of the topic.

"Not really, other then a new village has entered this years exams." Kabuto shrugged, putting his cards away. "Some small backwater village called Otogakure. I don't think they will be much of a threat."

"Heh, whatever bring them all on!" Kiba exclaimed. "I'll show everyone what a true Alpha is!"

At this, nearly all of the Konoha group resisted the urge to groan at the feral boys ignorance. Looking as most of the room was now glaring at the Konoha group, signifying that the Inuzuka boy had made them all targets.

However, unknown to most of the Konoha group, a trio of shinobi were swiftly making their way through the grumbling crowd. Most of which were plotting to do horrible things to the Inuzuka boy once they got him alone. Though the trio of shinobi were after a different target as they flickered through the crowd before a bandaged individual leapt up from the crowd and came barreling down towards Kabuto.

The mummified looking Oto genin took a swing at Kabuto, though the silver haired teen seemed to have expected the attack and merely leaned back enough for the attack to merely pass in front of him. However, despite dodging the attack, the bespectacled teens glasses shattered seemingly from nothing, much to the shock of the Konoha rookies. Though it didn't stop there, as Kabuto suddenly doubled over and emptied his stomach on to the floor.

'_He used the sound to attack Kabuto, fitting for a genin from the Village Hidden in the Sound.'_ Naruto surmised with a slight grin, as his ears buzzed from the almost inaudible noise coming from the strange looking device on the Oto genins wrist, prompting him to use his chakra to protect his ear drums.

Shifting his attention from the downed form of Kabuto, the blonde hanyou gazed at the three Otogakure Genin, taking in their appearances and sizing them up. To the left, was a male with spiky black hair, wearing an outfit that spelled out 'Death' on the front. In the center was the mummified genin that had attacked Kabuto, his head leaning to the side at an odd angle, and lastly, there was the sole female of the group.

Said female seemed to feel his eyes upon her and turned to look at him. Naruto had to admit that she was pleasing to the eye. Despite her loose fitting outfit, it was clear that she took her training seriously. Seeing her looking at him, Naruto couldn't help but to grin and wink at her, prompting her to lightly blush at the short exchange.

"Add that to your cards." The spiky haired Oto genin stated with a smirk.

"Did I miss something?" Sakura asked as she took her spot next to her mate.

"Eh, just the opening ceremonies." Naruto shrugged.

"Alright maggots, sit down and shut up!" A loud voice called out from the front of the room, prompting all the occupants to turn their attention to the new arrivals at the front. The most prominent of the new arrivals was a largely built man with a scared face, and a bandanna covering the top of his head.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." The scared man grinned. "My name is Ibiki Morino. I'm the proctor and chief examiner for the first part of the exam."

Upon hearing his name, many of the genin gulped in fear, as the man had earned quite the reputation in torture and interrogation, as well as being a master at mind games.

"You three of Otogakure." Ibiki singled out the three genin. "Attempt something like that one more time and you will be disqualified, understand?"

"Sorry, it's our first exam and we got a little excited." The mummified genin commented with a slight chuckle.

"Is that so?" Ibiki grinned, sending a shiver down mostly everyone's spine. "Then it is high time someone laid down a few ground rules. From this point forward, there will be no fighting without the express permission of the examining officer. And even if that permission is granted, anything that endangers another applicants life is strictly forbidden. Any of you maggots break this rule will be immediately disqualified, no second chances. Got it?"

"So in other words." The spiky haired Oto genin smirked. "This is a test for girly men?"

Ignoring the Oto genin, the proctor proceeded to the front of the classroom, and stood in front of the chalk board before turning around to face the participants.

"Before you entered the room, you were given a number." The proctor called out. "Find the seat that matches your number."

After a few moments of scrambling, each of the applicants had found the seat the coincided with the number they were given upon entering the room. As luck would have it, Naruto had ended up next to Hinata, whilst Sakura was a bit further back in the next row. Once they were all seated, one of the chunin handed out papers to everyone.

"Papers face down until I give the signal." Ibiki called out, prompting a few of the genin to slam their papers down. "Now listen up! There are a few big rules that pertain to this test. Rule number one, each of you starts with ten points, each question you get wrong, you lose a point."

"Rule number two, this written test is still a team event. Passing or failing will be determined by the sum of the points held by all three team members. Therefore, the objective is for each team to have as few deductions as possible.

"Rule number three, if during the course of the exam a candidate does anything out of the ordinary, in other words, anything that leads the proctors to determine that he or she has cheated, we subtract two points from each member of the cheaters team."

"With that said, you have one hour to complete this exam, starting NOW!"

A flurry of papers being flipped over echoed throughout the room as the applicants attempted to tackle the written questions. Though the first thing any of them noticed, was that the questions on the paper were far more advanced then a mere genin could possibly hope to answer. Naruto couldn't help but smirk as he read over the questions. Glancing to his side, he could see that Hinata had already activated her Byakagan and seemingly had begun to copy the answers of the person just in front of her.

'_Well, suppose I should get my answers as well.'_ He mentally commented, allowing his shadow to disconnect from him, and completely disappear.

As he did so, his shadow self lurked within what he dubbed the 'Shadow World', allowing it to move through the room without detection, since it was technically an entirely different world. Taking a moment to look around the room, he found the three Otogakure genin, with two of them answering the questions, while the third and sole female of the group appeared to be in a bad mood over something. It appeared as if the two males of the team were purposely leaving her out of the silent communication that had going on between them. Though with the glint in both of their eyes, it was clear that they were no doubt planning to hold it over her head, in return for certain favors.

Scowling at this, the Dark Clone set off to find someone to get the answers from, After a few minutes of searching, he found his target. Immediately, the Dark Clone gazed over the individual's answer and quickly jotted them down on a separate scroll, as well as a special message before rolling up the scroll and returning to the Oto girls side. Allowing his hand to slip between worlds, he dropped the small piece of paper with the answers in front of her, causing her to jump slightly, not expecting for a piece of paper to literally appear out of no where.

It's job done, the Dark Clone dismissed itself, giving Naruto it's memories. The blonde couldn't help but smirk at his Dark Clones actions, but over all, he approved of them. With the answers fresh in his mind, the blonde hanyou quickly jotted down the nine answers on the test before setting his pencil down and waited for the rest of the time to tick away.

Meanwhile, a few rows behind him, a certain Oto kunoichi couldn't help but to stare at the blonde whom had given her the answers.

* * *

**One Hour Later**

As the minutes ticked away, more and more participants were removed from the exam. Either from being caught cheating, or goofing around. There had even been on fool that had actually attempted to strike on of the proctors that had called him out for cheating. The end result was not good and required the young genin to be taken to the hospital for the injuries he received, the rest of his time wisely opting to silently depart the room.

Aside from that, Naruto was greatly amused and impressed with the ingenious ways many of the participants and taken to getting their answers. The weapons mistress, Tenten had utilized wires and a mirror, which made the blonde hanyou ponder how she was able to set it up without being caught. Gaara of the Sand and utilized his sand to form a floating eye ball to get his answers, where as Sasuke had used his Sharingan to copy the pencil movements of the person in front of him.

"Alright maggots, times up!" Ibiki called out from the front of the room, earning a series of groans and sighs of relief. "Get ready for the tenth question, but, before I give out the final question, I am adding one more rule. The absolute rule."

"First, you must choose." Ibiki grinned in a sadistic manner. "Whether or not to accept the tenth question."

"What!?" Temari exclaimed, slamming her hands down on the desk in front of her. "What do you mean choose? What happens if someone doesn't accept the question?"

"If you reject the question, and don't even try to answer it, you'll lose all of your points immediately, and fail." The proctor informed the participants. "Not to mention, both of your team mates will fail right along with you."

This earned a series of gasps from the remaining genin. None of them were too pleased at the prospect of failing if one of their own team mates decided to reject the question.

"However," Ibiki continued. "If you try to answer the question, and answer incorrectly, you will never be permitted to apply for the Chunin Exams ever again."

Hearing this, all of the genin participants went deadly silent, as each of them pondered the alternative. Either give up and have a shot at it next time when they felt more confident, or risk it all in a gamble at the cost of losing any further chances of being promoted. A handful had made the choice to reject the question, much to their team mates chagrin.

"Alright, enough mind games scar face." Naruto stated with his fox like grin. "I know for a fact you don't have the authority to ensure none of these guys are allowed to take the exams again, so just give us the question already."

"Damn brat." Ibiki grunted, seeing as the blondes words had steeled the rest of the occupants nerves enough to feel confident in their ability to answer the final question. _'I can see what Anko sees in him, absolutely no fear. __Damn brat wasn't even the least bit intimidated by me.'_

"Very well, listen up everyone!" The proctor grinned. "You've just passed the first exam."

"Wait what do you mean passed?" A nameless kunoichi questioned. "What about the tenth question?"

"There was no tenth question, beyond the whole 'accept or reject' think." Ibiki laughed,

"Then why did we have to suffer through the other nine questions!?" Temari screamed out, while happy she passed the first exam, she was not happy that she had wasted a nerve racking hour on a pointless test. "That was a total waste of our time!"

"There was no waste." Ibiki commented, turning serious again. "Those questions had a purpose. There purpose was to test your skills at spying. Of course, if you were clumsy or too obvious, you failed."

Saying this, Ibiki reached up and removed his bandanna, earning a series of gasps from the genins as he exposed his scarred and mutilated scalp. Burn scars, punctures from where screws were used, and long slashes. All clear signs that the man before them had been captured and tortured before.

"The tenth question however, simply put, was to see if you had the courage and fortitude to move forward or not." Ibiki explained as he secured his bandanna to his head once more. "There will be missions that will have you risk you and your teams lives for intel. Intel that could potentially save thousands of lives."

'_In other words, sacrifice a few to save many.'_ Naruto mused,

However, the participants didn't have time to ponder the meaning behind the proctors words as the window suddenly shattered and a black blur erupted in the front of the room with kunai flying out in four different directions. When the dust had settled, a lone figure stood in front of a black banner that read.

'**The Sexy and Engaged Anko Mitarashi-Uzumaki**

**Second Proctor'**

All the while, Anko stood in front of the banner with a gleeful expression as her eyes met with Naruto's, whom couldn't help but chuckle as he realized that this was the big surprise she had in store for them.

"Alright gaki's, you can read right?" Anko shouted out. "I'm the Second Proctor for the exams, Anko Mitarashi-Uzumaki…..wait, Ibiki, you passed twenty-six teams? You must be getting soft."

"Blame your fiance." The scarred man shrugged. "I would have scared away more if not for this brat."

"Oh well, I'll cut that number by half before the next test is done." The snake mistress grinned sadistically.

"Cut us down by half?" Ino gulped.

"Ooh, I get charged just by thinking about it." Anko stated, her grin never leaving her face, which unnerved a few more of the participants. "I'll explain in detail as soon as we arrive at the next examination area, so follow me!"

Without waiting for a reply, Anko leapt out the window she had jumped in through, prompting a few of the more daring, like Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata to jump out behind her, while the others opted to take the steps, hoping they would be able to catch up to the crazed second proctor.

After a few minutes of running through the village, the remaining participants found themselves in front of a massive forest, surrounded by a large chain link fence, as if it were built to keep things inside the ominous looking forest, instead of keeping others out. This was further perpetuated by the numerous sounds on the fencing that warning of death upon trespassing.

"Welcome to the arena for the second exam, Training Ground 44." Anko stated as she gazed over the genin in front of her, enjoying the fear rolling off of them. "Otherwise known as, The Forest of Death."

* * *

**Additional Authors Notes: **And that's a wrap!

I gotta say, I had a blast writing that opening. Actually had to get up a few times so I could stop laughing at how outlandish I was making it. Though I did do that on purpose, as I wanted everybody to be able to immediately pick up on the fact that it was not an accurate re-telling.

As for Hinata, I figured with her constantly being around Anko and no longer being the shy and innocent little wall flower, she would definitely be more crass, and no doubt would have picked up some of Anko's twisted sense of humor.

We also got to see the first part of Ino finally confronting Sakura about what she saw months ago, which is weird to think about, but considering that Team 7 had constantly been out of the village on missions, it seemed very feasible that this would be the first time the two would actually get to meet. Not to mention, when they were in the village, Sakura was usually at Naruto's house.

Now with Kabuto, I was tempted to have him reveal Naruto's heritage, but I figured if he did that, it would be too much of a red flag that he was a spy. Especially since the only ones that know his heritage are in the governing body. So, opted for him to almost reveal some of the girls Naruto is with. Something our blonde hanyou did not take kindly to.

Anyways, as always, let me know what you think via reviews or a private message!


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's Notes:** Alright, I know it's been awhile since I have updated this, but as you can see I have not exactly been sitting idle either. What, with three new stories started.

Anyways, another reason this particular update got pushed back a little was due to the fact that there is a lot of stuff that will be going down in this chapter, and I needed the time to collect my thoughts and organize how I am going to handle each scenario. Some of it will be comical, other moments, not so much. This is a turning point in the story, and if you have watched the series, then you have an idea of what is coming. Not to mention, another girl will be getting introduced in this chapter, so hope you all are looking forward to that.

* * *

**Discord**

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Then come join my Discord server, a multipurpose server for video games, anime, and fanfiction. Authors are invited to come toss ideas back and fourth and share their own stories, and readers are invited to add suggestions, make requests, or just chat away!

Hit me up with a private message for server information!

* * *

**Review Corner**

_**VFSNAKE –**_ Yeah, I am kind of modeling the 'Shadow World' after the dream sequences in Mass Effect 3, with everything being shades of gray and such. With the shadows of that world acting as windows into the real world.

And I have to say, I loved writing Kiba's delusional story. Had to pause every so often to keep myself from cracking up at how ludicrous I was making everything sound.

_**Imperial-samaB –**_ Yeah, things are really going to take off here in the Forest of Death. With the inevitable canon events, Pedomaru giving Sasuke his hickey, as well as my own additions. Will make for a fun time.

_**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark –**_ Yeah, I wanted to portray Sakura as being far more mature now. She has seen and experienced the truth behind being a kunoichi. Not to mention getting her first kill ahead of almost the entirety of the rookies, since only Naruto, Sakura, and Team 8 went for the 'Blooding' mission.

As such, she simply gave her former best friend the same advice Naruto had given her, and basically telling Ino that she is no longer in the race for the Uchiha. Which now leaves Ino conflicted, because she has no one to compete with now.

_**Zachosg7 –**_ I think most of them are getting over the initial shock of passing the first exam after being mind fucked by Ibiki. But, not saying I can't have one of the genin point it out in this chapter, with a simple accusation. After all, Anko will need to cut someones cheek to get the message across.

_**UnsanMusho –**_ I already have a plan for that. As well as following it up with some comical events, just for laughs. Just going to say, it involves a little mind walk and Inner Sakura being a bit mischievous.

_**Anthonym3 –**_ Yeah, I kind of had a problem with being unable to say 'no', to suggestions. So much so that any harem that is under 20 girls feels small now. But, I take it as a challenge to complete this without loosing sight of the main plot of the story.

_**Inritus –**_ Anko is always awesome! And you are correct, this portion will be a breeze for Naruto. I mean, he spars with the goddess of blood and carnage. But I have a plan to counter act that a little, to balance the playing field.

_**Helrio Uzugaku – **_Yup, Naruto is already suspicious of him and did call him out on the information Kabuto had on him. In which our spy played it off that he bribed some higher ranked people. Also, Naruto smells snakes on him, and as he pointed out, they smell sterile, like from a lab.

* * *

**Harem**

**In a relationship -** Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Fubuki*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Izumi*, Koyuki*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yakumo*, Yugao*

**Coming Soon**** -** Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Isaribi, Kaguya, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have accepted to bear Naruto's mark.

* * *

**Darkness Fall**

Chapter 33

"This place looks creepy." Commented one Ino Yamanaka, as the blonde genin stared through the fence, into the forest the second part of the exams was about to take place in. The sounds of various beasts and other such horrors that hid within the trees caused her to involuntarily shudder.

"Heh, you're about to find out first hand why they call this place, the Forest of Death." Anko grinned with a sadistic glint in her eyes as she stared at the blonde girl, causing her to flinch slightly.

"Pfft, you're just trying to psych us out, and I ain't falling for it." Kiba exclaimed with a tone of arrogance. "There is nothing in those trees out there that I can't handle."

"Oh really? You're pretty cocky, aren't ya?" Anko grinned. In a quick movement, the snake mistress launched two separate kunai towards the cocky genin. One scratching his cheek, allowing blood to flow freely, while the other went a little south and threatened the very thing that made him a boy. Earning a yelp of fright from the Inuzuka.

Though before he could fully react, Anko had circled around him and brought a third kunai out from her pouch and placed it just at his jugular. A cruel chuckle rumbling in her throat as she leaned into the boy, taking a lick of his blood.

"There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance." The snake mistress informed the boy with sadistic glee. "One will carry you far. And the other, well, the other gets their entire team killed. And since my precious little Usagi-chan is on your team, I would be most displeased should anything happen to her because of your arrogance, understand?"

For his part, Kiba could only dumbly nod in acknowledgment, as he fought back the urge to relieve himself in front of everyone. Whilst Hinata supported a healthy blush at the snake mistresses nick name for her, especially with the reasoning behind such a name.

"Good," The snake mistress smiled. "I'm glad we understand each oth….."

Anko didn't finish as she felt a cold wave of blood lust wash over her from behind, swiftly producing a fourth kunai and bringing it up just as a shadow fell over the two of them, turning to see a strange Kusagakure kunoichi standing behind them. A long tongue extending from the young woman's mouth as she offered the previously thrown kunai to the snake mistress.

"Your kunai, I believed you dropped it." The woman stated with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Thanks." Anko replied as she accepting the weapon being given back to her. "Though you should be careful with who you sneak up on while radiating such blood lust."

With a subtle gesture, Anko alerted the foreign kunoichi to the three figures that now stood behind her. To the Kusa kunoichi's shock, three other Konoha genin had surrounded her without her being aware in the forms of Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto. And while their stances seemed relaxed, it was clear to the woman that they were ready to strike at the slightest indication that the snake mistress was in danger.

'_These three were able to sneak up behind me without me know, but how?'_ The kunoichi mentally pondered, cautiously taking a step back away from the second proctor.

"Sorry, I'll try to keep it under control from now on." The Kusa Kunoichi apologized as she made her way back to where her team reamined. "But the sight of warm blood just gets me excited."

"Heh, looks like we have some hot-blooded teams on our hands." Anko grinned as she watched the kunoichi's retreating form. "Should be fun."

"Anyways, listen up!" The snake mistress turned to continue addressing the participants of the exam. "Before we begin the second exam, there is something I need to hand out first."

Ruffling through her trench coat pockets for a few seconds, the purple haired proctor produced a small stack of papers.

"What are those?" One of the genin inquired.

"These are consent forms everybody has to sign." The snake mistress replied.

"Why would we need to sign those?" Another asked.

"Well, we want all the details covered before the first death occurs." Anko began in a sing song voice. "Sign before you go in, so that we can not be held liable. After all, you wouldn't want to get me in trouble, would you?"

This earned a series of grumbling amongst the participants as a handful were reconsidering their resolve to continue on with the exam. Especially with the very real threat of potentially dying within the forest before them.

"First, before you wet yourselves, let me explain exactly what this phase of the exam will entail, then you can sign the forms with the other two members of your team and turn them in to the hut behind you." The proctor called out as she gestured to a stand that had two Chunin waiting in a bored fashion.

"Now, about the exam. To simply put, this is a No Holds Barred survival test." The snake mistress continued.

"Survival huh?" Shikamaru yawned tiredly. "Another troublesome, pain in the neck exam."

"To get you all acquainted with the terrain you will be entering." Anko began, holding up a large map of the training ground, allowing the group of genin to get a good look at the topography of the forest. Though, a few noticed that three particular genin didn't even spare a glance at the map.

"Training Ground 44 is bordered by a circular perimeter that is interrupted at regular intervals by forty four locked gates." She continued, not checking to see if anyone was paying attention or not. "About ten kilometers from each gate, in the center of the training grounds is a tower. That will be your final destination, but don't think it will be that easy to pass this part of the exam."

"During this phase of the exam you may use any skill and tool at your disposal. After all, it's kind of a fight to the death version of Capture the Flag, or in this case, Capture the Scroll" The snake mistress grinned, reaching into a second pocket from her trench coat, she produced two scrolls. One white and one black, with the kanji for 'Heaven' and 'Earth'.

"As you can see there are two scrolls." Anko pointed out the obvious. "A Scroll of Heaven, and a Scroll of Earth. Your objective is to acquire both scrolls. And since there is a total of twenty six teams, half of you will start out with a Heaven scroll, and the other half will start with an Earth scroll, and as I said, you will need both scrolls to pass."

"So, to simplify, your objective is to hold on to your own scroll while retrieving the scroll you need, before bringing both to the tower at the center."

"In other words, at least half of us will fail." Ino pointed out with a slight frown.

"That's right, I told you I would cut your numbers in half by the end of this phase." Anko grinned. "And before I forget, there is a time limit."

Hearing this, a series of gasps echoed throughout the participants.

"You have 120 hours in which to complete your objective. Exactly, five days in total." The snake mistress stated.

"Five days!?" Ino exclaimed in shock.

"What are we suppose to do for food?" Came the question from Choji.

"That's your problem." Was Anko's blunt reply. "The forest is full of natures bounty. Of course, it's also full of man eating beasts, deadly insects and poisonous plants."

"I highly doubt thirteen teams will actually pass this." The snake mistress mused loud enough for all to hear. "As the time shortens, the trials will come harder and faster with less recovery time for any mistakes, accidents, or injuries. Not to mention you will be surrounded by enemies at all times. So you'll have to sleep with one eye open."

Many of the genin shivered in fear as they imagined the multiple scenarios that proctor had laid before them.

"So, in addition to those who die in their attempts to defend or capture a scroll, some of you are bound to succumb to exhaustion, exposure, and dehydration." Anko listed off a few more ways aspiring chunin could perish within the forest, adding to the doubt lingering within those whose resolve was crumbling already.

"Now, let's talk about the rules. First and foremost, any team that does not reach the tower in time, fails. If your team loses any members during this phase, you fail. And, under no circumstances are you allowed to leave the forest before the time is up. There is no recess, and no time outs." The proctor listed off the rules. "Lastly, and more importantly, you are forbidden to look at the contents of the scroll until you're inside the tower."

"What happens if we sneak a peek?" A red haired Kusagakure kunoichi with glasses inquired curiously.

"That's for those who look to know." Anko replied in a teasing tone, earning a grumble from the kunoichi that had asked. "If any of you make it to Chunin, there will be times when you will be entrusted with top secret documents. So consider this a test for your trustworthiness."

"Now, that's all the explanation you all get." The proctor stated. "Sign your forms, retrieve your scroll and head to your assigned gate and get ready for the second phase of the exam to begin!"

Quietly, each of the genin read over the consent form they had been given. A few had immediately forfeit their chance to ascend the ranks, feeling they were not ready just yet to face such trials ahead. The remaining teams had proceeded to sign their forms and turn them in. Claiming their scrolls in the privacy of an enclosed booth, away from prying eyes.

While this was going on, Anko had made her way to where Naruto was waiting with his team. The blonde smiling as he felt his first mate, and official fiance wrap her arms around him, prompting him to turn around to meet her.

"Try to go easy on them in there, Foxy-kun." She smiled. Physically, she knew this test posed no threat what so ever to the blonde hanyou. Aside from his own prowess, he knew this forest like he knew her body. Maybe even better.

"And you," Anko turned towards Sakura with a grin. "Try not to wear him out in there."

"I make no promises." The pinkette grinned deviously.

"If you're not careful, I may steal him away for awhile." Came Hinata's voice as she approached the trio, bringing the blondes arm in between her bountiful chest. Planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "So keep your guard up, Sakura-chan."

"Is that a challenge, Hinata-chan?" Sakura smirked as she took the blondes remaining arm and pulled it close to her own body.

"Looks like you may have to sleep with one eye open for an entirely different reason, Naruto-kun." Anko teased.

"I don't know, may be fun." Naruto grinned. Earning a blush from both Sakura and Hinata.

"In all all seriousness, you three take care of yourselves in there." The snake mistress stated, bringing the three of them into a close hug. "And may Jashin-sama watch over all of you."

"And you as well, Hebi-hime." Naruto smiled before claiming her lips for a quick kiss.

Breaking a part, Anko gave her blonde mate and future sister wives one last hug before returning to her post, while Hinata returned to her own team, not missing the glare Kiba was sending towards Naruto. Meanwhile, Naruto and his team entered the enclosed both to claim their scroll. After a very short discussion, it was decided that Naruto would hold on to the scroll to ensure they didn't lose it to another team. Upon receiving their scroll, they made their way to their assigned starting gate and awaited the signal for the exam to officially begin. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long as the other proctors assigned to each gate had unlocked their gate and ushered the participants into the forest before locking the gate behind them.

Team 7 wasted no time as they shot through the gates, putting as much distance between themselves and the other teams that had also been assigned to the same entrance. After traveling a fair distance into the forest, Naruto paused, stopping in the middle of a small clearing.

"Hold up a moment." The blonde called out, catching the attention of the other two.

"What is it, loser?" The Uchiha grunted.

"Just, give me a minute." The blonde hanyou stated before disappearing behind some of the foliage without another word, earning a curious look from his pink haired mate, and a scoff of annoyance from the brooding emo.

"The hell is that dobe doing, we don't have time to be playing around. We need to get the scroll we need and get to the tower." Sasuke grumbled in annoyance.

"Heh, and here I thought you would be eager to wave your Uchiha 'greatness' around for all to see." Sakura remarked, sarcasm dripping heavily in her tone.

"Pfft, if these weak fools get beaten by a couple of trees then they are not worth my time." The raven haired boy scoffed.

"Sorry guys, had to take a leak." The blonde replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he rejoined the group. Earning a grunt from the Uchiha, and an exasperated sigh from the pinkette while she merely chuckled at the blondes bluntness.

"Anyways, we should get moving. No telling where the other teams are, and we need to make a plan to get the scroll we need." Sakura stated as she crossed her arms over her chest, pushing up her bust slightly. "However, before that, there is something that needs to be addressed first."

"What's that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto inquired.

Without warning, Sakura disappeared from the spot she was standing in and appeared directly in front of Naruto, her arm wound back as she delivered a massive strike to the boys face, sending him bouncing across the clearing before hitting a tree with a heavy thud.

"What the hell, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, spitting up a glob of blood as he shakily rose to his feet.

Meanwhile, Sasuke could only look on, completely flabbergasted at what he was witnessing. Sakura, the girl who was supposedly head over heels for the blonde dobe was not beating the crap out of him for no apparent reason.

'_Maybe __now she will finally see __that nothing can compete with a true 'Elite' like me.'_ He mentally grinned at the prospect of claiming the pink haired kunoichi for himself.

Not bothering to answer the blonde, the pinkette launched another flurry of attacks. Hitting the poor boy with a combo of punches and kicks, launching him high into the air, where she appeared just above him and brought her heel down viciously into his mid section; sending him rocketing down into the earth below, creating a rather large crater for his size. Landing softly on the outside of the crater she had just made with the poor blondes body, she growled as she descended down into the center, drawing a kunai as she did so.

"Wh-why, Sakura-chan." Naruto choked out, unable to move due to the amount of pain he was in from the pinkette's onslaught.

"Simple." Sakura snarled as she narrowed her eyes, bringing her kunai up to the blondes throat. "You are not my mate."

Not giving the now identified impostor time to reflect on her words, Sakura plunged her kunai into his throat, a sadistic grin stretching across her face as she did so as the impostors henge broke, revealing him to be an unknown Amegakure genin. Much to the shock of the Uchiha, seeing the once timid fan girl effortlessly taking a life in front of him.

"Very nicely done, Sakura-chan." Came a voice behind the Uchiha, prompting the raven haired genin to shoot around, only to see Naruto standing behind him. His arms crossed across his chest as he leaned against a tree. "Though, bit disappointed in you, Uke-chan. You couldn't even tell that was someone henged as me. I mean hell, he made the same mistake Mizuki-teme did. I don't use kunai or shurikan holsters."

At this, Sasuke merely growled in response. Not liking the fact that the blonde was correct. The Uchiha was so wrapped up in his own personal delusions, that he didn't even notice that the Naruto that Sakura had been beating on had extra gear on.

"So, while I was playing with your doppleganger, what were you doing Naruto-kun?" The pinkette inquired. "And don't tell me you were taking a leak."

Naruto merely chuckled at that. Of all the excuses the impostor had to use, the fool had to use that one.

"Actually, I went and took care of his team mates." The blonde replied, reaching into his pocket and producing another scroll. Sadly it was the same one they already had, but best to have a spare. "Here Uke-chan, you watch after this one."

The Uchiha grunted as he caught the scroll that was tossed to him, not bothering to give his team mate a reply as he shoved the spare scroll into one of his storage pouches.

"Come on, let's go." Naruto instructed as he leapt up into a branch. "We'll have more success getting the scroll we need near the tower, since that is where everyone is going anyways."

"Pfft, who made you the leader, dobe?"

"It's not about being the leader, it's about basic logic." The blonde retorted. "Fact is, every team will be converging on that tower, which by the way, only has one entrance. So we can either waste our time playing Jumanji out here, or we can wait near the tower and ambush an already tired team and get the scroll we need."

"Fine." The Uchiha commented, not wanting to argue any further. Though, he didn't want to admit that it was a solid plan. Conserve their energy while waiting for a team that had already spent all of theirs hunting down their own scrolls.

Without another word, the three took off once more through the trees. Naruto stretching his senses out as far as they could go to attempt to detect any other teams nearby, half expecting another ambush attempt from a possibly more skilled team. However, what the blonde hanyou was not expecting was for a mighty gust of wind to come up out of no where while he was in mid jump, blowing him away from his team. Much to Sakura's shock, whom was firmly planted on one of the branches.

"Naruto-kun!" The pinkette called out.

"Ku-ku-ku." Came a mocking laughter from ahead of them, alerting both remaining members of Team 7 to the new arrival. "I must say, I am surprised that the blonde one was the one to be caught off guard and separated. I had expected him to be skilled enough to evade my trap. But oh well, you two shall entertain me."

Hearing this, Sakura narrowed her eyes, ignoring the Kusagakure genin's taunts about her lover. Knowing full well that they were trying to bait her into doing something reckless. Since after all, they hadn't exactly kept it a secret they were a couple during the first exam.

Though the pinkette couldn't put her finger on it, there was something unusual about the genin before them. The kunoichi before them seemed far too calm and collected for the survival test they were currently partaking in. Not to mention, Sakura couldn't sense of the of the girls team mates nearby, meaning she was confronting them by herself. Unless her team mates were hiding their chakra signatures, which would be near impossible for a mere genin to do. Which brought the pink haired hanyou to her next suspicion. While she could feel chakra coming from the kunoichi before them, it felt filtered and restrained. As if she were suppressing it.

"I suppose you'd like to steal my Scroll of Earth, wouldn't you?" The Kusa kunoichi taunted, producing her scroll before them. "Since I know you've already got a Scroll of Heaven."

With a malicious smirk, the kunoichi allowed her unusually long tongue to slither out of her mouth and wrap around the scroll, as if it were a snake, and take it into her mouth. Swallowing the scroll whole. Much to the shock, disgust, and a bit of arousal from the two genin of Team 7.

'_**Wow, can you imagine her using that tongue in the bedroom?'**_ Inner Sakura couldn't help but question, severely blushing as her perverted side of her mind begin to come up with numerous other ways the tongue could be used for.

'_Not now Inner!'_ Sakura chastised. _'In case you haven't noticed, there is something wrong about this entire thing.'_

"Now, shall we see just who will be stealing scrolls from whom?" The kunoichi taunted with a sadistic grin on her face. "In a fight to the death!"

Methodically, the Kusa kunoichi got into an aggressive stance while radiating a rather large amount of killer intent. Almost immediately, both Sakura and Sasuke felt its effects, with the Uchiha succumbing to graphic illusions of various forms of both his and Sakura's gruesome deaths, causing the poor raven haired boy to puke. Meanwhile, Sakura was fairing a little better, having been exposed to similar levels of killer intent while training with Anko, Yugao and Naruto. Still, the pinkette was breaking out in a cold sweat from the killer intent the kunoichi was leaking out.

'_This killer intent, it's not natural for a genin level shinobi.'_ The pinkette observed, feeling even more unnerved by this unknown opponent. Clenching her fist as she begun to emit her own killer intent to counter the Kusa kunoichi's own.

Feeling Sakura's own killer intent, the foreign kunoichi grinned madly with the sense of exhilaration at the prospect of battling against an actual competent genin. Her hand twitching ever so slightly before it shot out twice, launching two kunai in rapid succession, causing Sakura's eyes to widen in surprise, realizing that the kunoichi was not aiming for her, but rather her still prone team mate.

'_Shit!'_ Sakura cursed she she sprinted forth, tapping into her hanyou attributes for the added boost in speed to increase her chances of reaching Sasuke before the kunai could.

_**Thok **_

One of the kunai embedded itself deeply within a tree trunk, causing the Kusa kunoichi to frown. Seeing her attack missed her designated target.

'_Heh, interesting. __I had expected the Uchiha to be the one to give me a challenge, but that gir__l, she is something else.'_ The kunoichi grinned. _'Perhaps after I deal with the Uchiha, I should extend an offer to her to join me. She would make an interesting addition __to my forces__.'_

* * *

**Elsewhere, With Naruto **

"Damn, where the hell did that gust of wind come from?" The blonde grunted in annoyance as he picked himself up off the ground. _'__No way that was natural.'_

'_**It had to have been a jutsu of some kind.'**_ Ahri pointed out.

'_Yeah, question is, who performed it?'_ Naruto mentally questioned with narrowed eyes, as it was clear that it was no low level jutsu a genin would use. Granted, there were a select few of individuals with extenuating circumstances like Sakura, Hinata, Gaara, and himself. But this, this felt odd. As if the person that performed the jutsu had been masking their chakra.

"Suppose I should get back with my team." The blonde hanyou stated as he turned towards the direction he felt Sakura was in. Frowning slightly, as she felt her emotions through his mark. Feeling a mixture of excitement and fear. However, before he could move on, a scream pierced through the trees, catching Naruto attention.

"Damn." Naruto cursed his luck. Taking one last look at the direction he felt Sakura in before jumping off in the direction he heard the scream coming from. _'Sakura-chan may be in a fight, but she isn't in danger. And my conscience won't allow me to turn my back on someone in need.'_

After bounding through the trees at a fast pace for a half a minute, the blonde hanyou came across the origin of the scream. A red haired kunoichi with glasses was pinned to the ground by a massive bear like beast, that was now poised to strike her with it's massive paw. Not wasting any time, Naruto dropped into the shadow below him, only to reemerge to the right of the large bear, bringing his leg back, he brought it forth with a considerable amount of force to send the large beast flying back. Landing beside the downed kunoichi, Naruto kept his eyes on the massive beast. Knowing full well that it wasn't dead yet.

"Are you alright?" He asked the red head, peering over his shoulder at her.

"Y-yes." She stammered as she gazed up at the blonde.

However, before the two could say anything more, a loud roar caught the blondes attention. Turning, he saw the massive beast was up once more and charging towards him. Smirking some, Naruto turned towards the charging beast and readied himself. Just as the bear got within range, Naruto brought his fist back before unleashed a might right hook to the bears jaw. A resounding crack echoing off the trees, causing the beast to howl out in pain as it shook it's head to try and get rid of the pain, before it turned and ran into the forest.

'_Hope I didn't hurt you too bad, big guy.'_ Naruto thought to himself, having met with that particular bear a number of times while he trained within this very forest. Which was the main reason the blonde had only aimed to ward off the big guy, instead of out right kill him.

"Tha-that was incredible!" The red haired girl exclaimed with stars in her eyes as she gazed up at her blonde savior, getting up from where she had been pinned down previously.

"Uh thanks." Naruto replied. "Sorry about Brutus there, he is usually a bit more docile. But I guess with the exams going on, he isn't too happy with all the strangers running around his home."

"You named that thing!?"

"Course," The blonde shrugged. "Sometimes I will come out here and wrestle with him."

This of course earned an incredulous look from the red head.

"Anyways, names Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, otherwise known as Konoha's Shadow Fox." The blonde introduced himself.

"Di-did you say you're an Uzumaki?" The girl stuttered in shock, a look of disbelief washing over her face as well as a hint of apprehension. "As in, an actual Uzumaki?"

"Yes, my mother was Kushina Uzumaki." Naruto answered, a little confused as to why his clan name was such an interest to the girl before him.

Though before he could ponder it further, the red head had leapt up and wrapped her arms around him and began to sob into his chest. Not really knowing how to react, Naruto did what came natural, and wrapped the girl in a comforting hug. Hoping that when she calmed down, he would get some answers. The two of them stood like this for a handful of moments, before the girl had finally calmed down enough to take a step back and reflect upon her recent actions, prompting her to blush slightly.

"Better now?" Naruto inquired, earning a nod from the girl.

"Sorry about that." She sighed, a little embarrassed. "You're probably wondering why I am so excited to see another Uzumaki, right?"

'_Another Uzumaki?'_ The blonde mentally questioned, beginning to put the pieces together.

"Something like that." Naruto chuckled. "Though, I am going to assume you are also an Uzumaki."

"I-uh, yes. My name is Karin Uzumaki." The girl introduced herself with a slight bow.

"A pleasure to meet you, Karin-chan." The blonde smiled as he took her hand and lightly kissed her knuckles in a gentleman like fashion, earning another blush from the girl. "If I may, what happened to your team?"

"We were caught in an ambush by another team." Karin frowned. "I tried to warn them, but they just told me to shut up and ignored me. After that, the ambush happened and I ran. The other team almost got me, but then the bear attacked and well, I think you know how that ended."

"I see." The boy frowned. "Sorry about your team."

"I'm not." The girl scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "They were assholes. Always making inappropriate remarks about me, and when I had to heal them, they would always bite me in personal areas."

"Bite you?"

"Yes." Karin sighed. "I can heal others with my chakra, however to do so, they must be able to bite me so that I can directly transfer my chakra to them. And those bastards would use any excuse to do it."

"I suppose it is best they got taken care of then." Naruto stated, clearly not liking the fact that this girls team mates would treat her in such a fashion. "But what will you do now?"

"I-I don't know." Karin answered. "With my team dead, I am now officially disqualified from the exams, but, I don't want to return to my home village."

"Why not?"

"Because of that bastard of a village leader condemned my mother to death by over using her healing abilities, and he already said once I return, regardless of I pass or fail, I would be used for breeding to carry on my bloodline." She spat in disgust, earning a scowl from the blonde.

"The don't." Was all Naruto said. "Don't go back to your village. Stay here with your family."

"But that bastard just won't let me go, not without a fight." Karin pointed out.

"Not if he thinks your dead." The blonde grinned, forming an idea in his head, seeing the confused look on his newly found clan mate, he decided to elaborate. "We make a blood clone of you, and well, kill it. That body is returned to your village, along with your team mates, and you get to start a new life here."

Hearing the blondes plan, Karin couldn't help but look at him in shock, but above all, in admiration. Not only had this young man before her saved her from the bear that had attacked her, but now he was also saving her from a life of misery and pain. Tears forming in her eyes, she latched onto him and cried in joy, all while muttering her thanks into his chest.

Another handful of minutes had passed between the two, before Karin had regained her composure, though still sporting a severe blush at the memory of being within the blondes arms, as he had comforted her. Naruto on the other hand, proceeded to summon his 'Dark Clone', much to Karin's surprise to see this rather unique jutsu. Even more so, when she felt that the boy had not used any chakra to initiate it.

"This is my Dark Clone, I'll explain later." Naruto said, seeing the look of interest on the red heads face. "He will take you to my compound, so you can lay low. He will also explain to the other girls there what is going on."

"Wait?" Karin looked at the blonde in confusion. "Other girls?"

"You'll see." He grinned before he gave the signal to his Dark Clone to get her to safety.

"Wait, take this." The red head stated as she produced her teams scroll and tossed it to the blonde. Which ironically enough, she happened to be the one his team needed to pass this exam. "Since I am suppose to be dead, I guess I don't need it."

"Thanks." Naruto said, stuffing the Scroll of Earth he had just received into one of his storage seals to keep it safe. "I will stop by as soon as I can to see how you are doing, but first, I need to check on my own team."

Giving a nod, Karin approached the Dark Clone and allowed it to take her into the shadows, much to her shock. Her destination, the Uzumaki Clan Compound.

'_Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how she would be traveling.' _The blonde hanyou chuckled slightly, as he could only imagine how the girl would be reacting to her first trip through the Shadow World. _'Anyways, I need to get back to Sakura-chan and make sure both her and the teme are alright.'_

Turning once more in the direction of his pink haired mate, the blonde shot through the trees once more with an inhuman speed.

* * *

**Additional Author's Notes:** And that's a wrap for this chapter.

Now, I will say that this chapter was originally suppose to be much longer. Like almost three times as long as what this one is, but due to me reaching the dead line I had set for myself in getting this chapter up, I had decided to split it up into multiple chapters and proceed to post this. Also, the fact that it has been over a month since this story got any love played a role in my decision as well.

Anyways, I do hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and the introduction of Karin. She is going to be in for a surprise when she arrives at the Uzumaki Estate and meets the girls that are still there. Should be an interesting time for her to learn about her savior from the girls.

But before that, next chapter will start off with a bang with Sakura and Sasuke facing off against Orochimaru.

As always, be sure to leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews. Or hit me up with a private message!


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